1 Revisiting your attitudes towards success
In Session 1 you completed a short questionnaire about your attitudes towards nature and nurture in sport. At the time, you were told that it is ‘likely that deeply held beliefs and values will influence the way people answer’.
Educational psychologist Carol Dweck and others have investigated the nature of deeply held beliefs about ability and how these influenced the way children learn. Her book Mindset (Dweck, 2012) has resulted in ‘growth mindset’ and ‘fixed mindset’ becoming increasingly used terms. What is meant by these terms will be explained shortly.
Her research made many of those working in education and sport realise that some people avoid challenging situations where they might fail, while others embrace challenge as an opportunity to learn.