Fostering a Growth Mindset Through Teamwork in English Lessons: A Lesson Study Approach

Background and purpose: Developing a growth mindset—the belief that abilities and intelligence can be improved through effort and persistence (Dweck & Yeager, 2019)—is increasingly recognized as essential for student success. While teamwork is known to enhance communication, resilience, and problem-solving skills, limited research has examined how collaborative English lessons specifically support growth mindset development in secondary classrooms. Aims: This study investigated how structured teamwork in English lessons fosters growth mindset traits such as perseverance, willingness to learn from mistakes, and reflective thinking among 8th-grade students (aged 13-14 years). Study design or methodology: The intervention comprised four English lessons delivered to one 8th-grade class in Kazakhstan (N = 13). Students were divided into four groups and engaged in problem-solving and team-building activities designed to encourage collaboration and reflection. Data were collected through teacher observations, post-lesson student feedback forms, and semi-structured interviews with five students. Teacher reflections were analysed thematically to identify changes in engagement, communication, and mindset indicators. Findings: Teamwork promoted social cohesion, communication, and leadership across attainment levels. Students gradually became more supportive and confident, with many actively sharing ideas and assuming leadership roles. Teacher observations and student feedback revealed evidence of growth mindset development, including greater perseverance and viewing mistakes as learning opportunities. However, some groups experienced challenges such as social exclusion and uneven participation, highlighting the need for careful team composition and facilitation. Conclusions, originality, value and implications: Team-based English lessons can effectively nurture growth mindset by creating supportive environments that reduce fear of failure and encourage reflective learning. Successful implementation requires coherent lesson design, clear roles, balanced team formation, and simplified assessment tools. These findings offer practical guidance for educators seeking to integrate collaborative strategies to build resilience, confidence, and a growth mindset in language classrooms.

Keywords (free text)

growth mindset, student engagement, English, teamwork, lesson study

Permanent link to cite this item

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14069/1298
https://doi.org/10.71779/774

Collections

Lesson Study Kazakhstan