Measuring School Administrators' Implicit Theories About Teacher Intelligence, Talent, and Ability: An Implicit Person Theory Teacher Scale (IPT-TS)

Abstract

Implicit Person Theory (IPT). commonly referred to as Growth Mindset Theory, refers to the beliefs that individuals hold about the nature of one’s attributes. Some people believe that attributes (such as intelligence, talent, and ability) are fixed, while others believe that those attributes can change and grow over time. Much research has been conducted regarding the implicit person theories (mindsets) of teachers, demonstrating that the implicit theories held by teachers affect how they interact with students and impact students’ performance. Studies regarding non-school business supervisors’ mindsets toward employees exist, however, none could be found on the implicit person theories (mindsets) of school administrators, toward teachers. This study developed a scale called the Implicit Person Theory Teacher Scale, referred to as the IPT-TS, that validly and reliably measures the implicit person theories of school administrators regarding teachers. The availability' of this tool allows research to be conducted to discover how the implicit theories of school administrators affect how they interact with teachers and how those interactions might impact teacher performance. Keywords: mindset, implicit person theory, growth, fixed, incremental, entity, IPT, scale, school, administrator, teachers.