Researchers

Telling students to work harder doesn’t mean a thing if those students don’t believe they can learn the material. In fact, a growing body of research shows that the way kids view intelligence has a powerful effect on both whether and how much they learn.

Dave Paunesku of Stanford University’s PERTS Lab used a cartoon to explain to the EWA seminar audience two different ways students view themselves: First, like Homer Simpson, who says, “Trying is the first step towards failure,” or second, like Rocky Balboa, who tries harder with every setback...