Growth Language Mindset Across Disciplines: Evidence From Thai Higher Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1702.05Keywords:
growth mindset, English language learning, Thai undergraduates, discipline differences, confirmatory factor analysisAbstract
This study investigated the growth language mindset of undergraduate students in Thailand, focusing on their beliefs about intelligence, aptitude, and age sensitivity in English language learning. A total of 1,174 students from diverse academic disciplines participated in the survey, which employed the adapted Language Mindset Inventory (LMI). Descriptive statistics, multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to address four research questions: (1) the overall level of growth mindset in English learning, (2) variations of mindset across disciplines, (3) differences based on the urban–rural divide, and (4) the construct validity of the proposed three-factor model. Results revealed that students generally hold strong growth-oriented beliefs, with the highest mean score for age sensitivity. MANOVA results indicated significant disciplinary differences in intelligence beliefs and age sensitivity beliefs, with students in telecommunication engineering, polymer engineering, manufacturing automation and robotics engineering, and mechanical engineering reporting the strongest growth mindsets. In contrast, bioscience and environmental engineering students showed weaker orientations. A separate MANOVA showed significant urban–rural differences across all three constructs, with urban students consistently reporting higher growth beliefs, particularly in age sensitivity. The CFA provided strong support for the three-factor model, and fit indices confirmed an excellent model fit. These findings highlight that while growth-oriented beliefs about language learning are widespread among Thai undergraduates, disciplinary and geographical disparities remain. The validated three-factor model confirms that intelligence, aptitude, and age sensitivity beliefs are distinct but interrelated dimensions of language mindset. The study highlights the need for tailored interventions to foster growth-oriented language learning environments.
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