MMTC Researcher Co-Authors Study on Mindset Intervention to Support Multidisciplinary Education

Published in Contemporary Educational Psychology, Ramya Sakthivel’s latest research explores how a growth mindset about academic interests can help students adapt to changing curricular demands.

Curriculum reforms that aim to promote multidisciplinary learning often face resistance—not because of poor design, but because of a mismatch with students’ existing academic identities. This challenge is the focus of a new peer-reviewed article co-authored by Dr. Ramya Sakthivel.

The article, titled “A growth-theory-of-interest intervention helps align science students with a new multidisciplinary curriculum,” investigates how a simple yet powerful psychological intervention can support students in adapting to broader educational mandates. It is now available in the journal Contemporary Educational Psychology.

Challenging Fixed Academic Identities

The study followed students entering a two-year pre-university program in which a newly introduced curriculum required engagement with both science and the arts. However, many of the incoming students identified strongly with science and showed little interest in the arts—creating a misalignment between their academic identities and the school’s new multidisciplinary vision.

To bridge this gap, the researchers tested a growth-theory-of-interest intervention, based on the idea that interests are developed over time rather than fixed from the outset. A randomized controlled field experiment was conducted with 151 students prior to their matriculation. Students were randomly assigned to either complete the mindset intervention or engage in active control materials.

Positive Impact on Identity, Belonging, and Performance

Seven months later, the results showed clear benefits of the intervention. Students who received the growth-theory-of-interest message reported a stronger arts identity, greater sense of school belonging, and better fit with the curriculum—all without weakening their identification with science. Notably, students in the control group who developed a stronger arts identity tended to feel less belonging at school; this effect was eliminated in the intervention group.

Importantly, the intervention indirectly led to higher year-end GPAs, highlighting its potential not only to enhance psychological outcomes, but also academic performance.

A Mindset for Multidisciplinary Learning

“This study highlights how simple psychological interventions can ease students into more complex and integrated ways of thinking,” says Dr. Ramya Sakthivel. “It’s especially relevant as more educational institutions shift toward multidisciplinary approaches that reflect the demands of today’s interconnected world.”

The findings offer valuable insights for educators, curriculum designers, and policymakers who aim to foster student adaptability, motivation, and performance within evolving academic environments.

📄 Read the full article: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2024.102190