The Effect of a Mastery Learning Course on Rafael's Mindset

Studies on mastery learning applied to undergraduate engineering courses have revealed various positive results for students, including enhancing content mastery. Yet, there is a lack of information on how a mastery learning class influences the mindsets related to students' learning motivation, specifically students' growth mindset. In this Work-in - Progress Research paper, we describe the shifts in the growth mindset of a first-generation Latino college student, Rafael, who experienced a mastery learning environment, for the first time, in a Statics engineering course. Specifically, the research questions we investigated were: how did a mastery learning environment affect Rafael's mindset,? and how is Rafael's mindset related to the growth mindset? We longitudinally interviewed Rafael at three-time points. We used thematic analysis to extract three salient themes related to how Rafael's growth mindset evolved while experiencing a mastery learning environment and how he further developed academically throughout his mastery learning participation. First, Rafael described himself as having a 'determination mindset' in his courses that led him to keep trying until he got the correct answer to a problem. Second, interviews affirmed that the mastery learning environment cultivated Rafael's 'determination' predisposition and that the mastery learning environment kept Rafael motivated and hopeful, even after difficult assessments, which bolstered his growth mindset. Finally, the availability of retake opportunities allowed Rafael to further develop academically. Findings from our analysis show how a mastery learning environment supports students' growth mindset, which can lead to academic growth beyond what a traditional engineering course may offer.