Examining the Combined Effects of Grit and Growth Mindset on International Students’ Willingness to Communicate in Chinese

Abstract

This paper delves into the effects of grit and growth mindset, individually and combined, on willingness to communicate (WTC) in Chinese among international students. Based on the theory of mindset by Dweck, the grit model by Duckworth, and the WTC model by MacIntyre et al. we conducted a survey of 412 mainland China-based students participating in Chinese language programs in three universities. Participants completed the Short Grit Scale, language mindset scale, and Willingness to Communicate in Chinese scale, and a few demographic and proficiency questions. When our hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted, we found that grit (= 0.31, p = -0.001) and a growth mindset (= 0.24, p = -0.001) were significant predictors of greater WTC and explained 21 percent of the variance when we accounted for factors such as age, gender, length of residence, and self-rated proficiency. Further, moderation analysis revealed that there was a significant interaction between grit and growth mindset (0.12r 12, p =.02), meaning that the beneficial effect of grit on WTC was even greater among students with higher growth mindset. These findings confirm the theory of second language acquisition (SLA) motivation by combining perseverance and flexible beliefs into one model of communication preparedness. In practical terms, this implies that language programs must include tactics that encourage long-term motivation, such as the establishment of long-term goals, as well as growth mindset training, such as feedback that can focus on effort and strategies, to increase the desire of students to communicate in Chinese. Longitudinal and experimental research should be considered in future studies to confirm these findings and examine such variables as anxiety reduction and enjoyment.