Spring is a mobile application designed to support middle school students in developing a growth mindset. Empirical studies have shown that a growth mindset has a positive effect on student motivation and class performance outcomes.
My user persona, Sunny is in 7th grade and has recently been struggling with Biology class. Through the Spring app, she goes through a series of steps that can support her on her journey:
- Sunny reflects on her previous performance by reviewing her report card and rating how satisfied she is with her performance.
- Completes an intake survey to assess her beliefs about learning through questions like: “I can learn anything I set my mind to” and “I believe that people are born smart”
- Starts putting together a plan- what are the strengths that can help her in her journey? Is she creative? A great listener? What areas does she want to work on?
- She recently received a Biology paper that she is unhappy with – she received a 64/100. Her teacher gave her constructive feedback, but she can’t help but shake the feeling of failure.
- She uploads her test Biology test to the application.
- She received an encouraging message “Don’t worry, with hard work and dedication, you can reach your goal next time!” (This reframing also works in the context of receiving a high grade: praising the effort and not the person)
- She is also given actionable insights from her teacher’s comments and the app recommendations
- With this, she feels more equipped to tackle her next test!
- Between now and her next test, she works on the S.M.A.R.T. goals that she’s created to help her study for her Biology class
- Sunny, feels optimistic about the rest of her semester as she knows hard work and dedication will play a big factor in achieving her goals
The Spring journey outlined above integrates learning design as each step aims to move the user towards a learning-based outcome: developing a growth mindset.
