Game on ‘Growth Mindset’ for European schools: progress update!
Within the ‘Growth’ partnership, initiating organisation 8D Games is lead partner for development of the serious game result – an innovative way to promote the growth mindset among primary school students. The game materials, inspired by the theory of renowned psychologist Carol Dweck, are expected to be launched in the spring of 2024. In this article we’ll have a chat with Giel Hekkert – creative director at 8D Games – about the game concept, its theoretical foundation and its potential future usability within the educational field.
Fostering the Growth Mindset in primary education
A crucial element of the growth mindset is the belief that talent and intelligence are not fixed traits but qualities that can be developed through dedication, effort, and an open attitude toward learning. “In 2021, the partnership started off with an inventory of existing growth mindset interventions in primary education in all participating countries,” says Hekkert. “Which methods are effective, and which are not? Also, the partnership explored the current level of familiarity among teachers with the theory behind the growth mindset. The findings of this research are the foundation for the game intervention that is currently in development.”
Hekkert: “After completion of the transnational desk research and field research, we proposed three game concepts: a fully analog game, a hybrid form, and a strongly scenario-oriented digital game. What matters to us is that the implementation of the materials is as accessible as possible, and that teachers endorse the chosen format. This also means that, despite the name suggesting otherwise, a serious game doesn’t always have to be entirely digital. In this case, the partnership opted for a hybrid format: growth mindset challenges carried out in the classroom, but accessible and customizable through a web-based generator, making it easy for teachers to put together a suitable and effective lesson package.”
Creative Growth Mindset Challenges
The creative challenges that will be accessible through the generator are developed as a collaborative effort of all staff involved in the partnership. “All organisations are rooted in education and/or development of innovative learning methods,” Hekkert notes. “This ensures the assignments are sufficiently diverse, have a solid didactic foundation, and can be applied in various European educational contexts. This is important, as all young citizens can benefit from understanding and internalizing a growth mindset. It is a mindset that will help anyone flourish, not only in school but also in personal and professional life.”
Reusable Framework
The developed technology for the Growth Game provides a solid basis for further development. “The system we’ve built is well-suited for the adaptive delivery of various teaching materials, even on different subjects. We will certainly explore how the framework developed within this project can be useful for other educational objectives – especially within a European context, as we have already considered multilingualism. We are always open to new collaborations in this area.”
The Growth Game and its accompanying materials will be published (and freely accessible) through this website. For more information on serious gaming or gamification of educational materials, one can reach out to info@8d-games.nl.
This project is co-funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Partnerships program.