Why meta-analyses of growth mindset and other interventions should follow best practices for examining heterogeneity: Commentary on Macnamara and Burgoyne (2023) and Burnette et al. (2023).
Tipton E, Bryan C, Murray J, McDaniel MA, Schneider B, Yeager DS · 2023
grade Dcritiquedeveloper-involvednot-applicable
Sample
Not applicable - methodological commentary with an exploratory reanalysis of Macnamara and Burgoyne's dataset
Population
Not applicable.
Design
The developer team replying to its critics. Yeager and Schneider are National Study of Learning Mindsets authors and Tipton and Murray were its statisticians, so this is not an outside adjudication. The argument is that meta-analysis of this literature should be heterogeneity-attuned rather than estimating a single average effect.
Key findings
Reports that applying Burnette et al.'s modelling approach to Macnamara and Burgoyne's dataset recovers a meaningful significant effect in focal at-risk groups. Macnamara and Burgoyne's reply charges that the reanalysis changed effect sizes, recoded moderators and altered which studies were included, often without explanation. The dispute is analytic rather than evidentiary - both sides are working from the same studies.
Genetic confound
Not applicable.
Replication notes
Not applicable.
DOI / URL
10.1037/bul0000384
Effects
| Outcome | Metric | Value | Measure | Timing | Vs | Horizon | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reanalysis of the critics' dataset under the favourable model | claim | recovers a meaningful significant effect in focal at-risk groups; specific effect sizes not obtained | mixed | not applicable | unclear | not-applicable | domain-skill |
Cited by
- Does teaching a growth mindset raise achievement?mixedconf: highgc: low