Elementary School Students’ Growth Mindset: the Impact of Educational Platforms with Feedback on the Gender Disparities

STEM studies indicate gender differences in students' perceptions of their ability in mathematics. Even math performance being equal, girls tend to exhibit lower expectations of success in math and assess their math competency lower, than boys. It is believed that developing a growth mindset could bridge the gender gap in how students assess their math abilities and increase girls' interest in math. One of the tools for promoting the growth mindset is formative feedback. This study aims to investigate the impact of a digital platform with automatic feedback on the development of the growth mindset in primary school students. The empirical data were collected through the experiment which encompassed more than 6,000 3rd grade students from 343 regional schools in Russia. Statistically significant difference in the growth mindset was found between the students in the experimental group, that is students who were using the platform, and in the control group. However, the effect of using the platform for girls was significantly lower than for boys. The findings point to the promise of the digital platforms with instant feedback to foster the mathematical growth mindset in elementary school students. The study raises the question of the necessity to tailor feedback for boys and girls to mitigate the gender gap. Keywords: growth mindset, math, feedback, digital platforms, gender gap