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Abstract
In the most recent PISA assessment, Malaysia faced the steepest drop in mathematics achievement that had ever been recorded in the previous PISA cycle. Many factors may contribute to this decline. One factor that has gained significant attention in recent years is the growth mindset. However, limited research has focused on its impact in Malaysia. This study explored the relationship between growth mindset and mathematics achievement, focusing on low-performing and high-performing Grade 7 students in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. A total of 686 Grade 7 students from secondary schools in Kota Kinabalu were selected to participate in this study. The instrument used in this study was a validated self-report Growth Mindset scale, and an end of the academic session examination (UASA) paper prepared by the Malaysian Examination Board. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and quantile regression analysis were employed to explore whether growth mindset varied across mathematics achievement levels among students. The results revealed that the positive effect of growth mindset was greater for high-performing students than for low-performing students. These findings indicate that while growth mindset interventions benefit all students, low-performing students require integrated support addressing both mindset and foundational mathematical competencies. Implications for differentiated intervention design are discussed.
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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Article Type: Research Article
INT ELECT J MATH ED, Volume 21, Issue 2, May 2026, Article No: em0874
https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/18130
Publication date: 01 Apr 2026
Online publication date: 15 Mar 2026
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