Service Learning Projects to Enhance Growth Mindsets in Higher Education Students

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.60027/iarj.2026.e299492

Keywords:

Service Learning, Growth Mindsets, Early Childhood Education Students

Abstract

Background and Aims: Service learning amalgamates pedagogy with scholarship to augment the personal knowledge of students. This method is essential in cultivating a growth mentality. Students in higher education who engage in service-learning programs can address real-world issues, enhance critical-thinking abilities, and cultivate a dedication to lifelong learning. The objective of this research is to: 1. Examine the evolution of the growth mindset among higher education students before and after their involvement in service learning programs. 2. Analyze the evolution of the growth mindset among higher education students prior to and following their involvement in service learning programs.

Methodology: The sample group for this research consisted of 60 male and female higher education students aged 19-20 years, in their second year of the Early Childhood Education program at Chaiyaphum Rajabhat University, Na Fai Subdistrict, Mueang District, Chaiyaphum Province, during the first semester of the 2025 academic year. The sample was selected using purposive sampling. The research instruments included eight lesson plans for a service-learning project and a behavioral assessment form assessing higher education students' growth mindset. The researchers used a one-group pretest-posttest design to analyze the data using the mean, standard deviation, and dependent t-test.

Results: The overall assessment of growth mindset among higher education students before the intervention was low (M=2.61, S.D.=0.50, and after the intervention, it was at its highest level (M=4.22, S.D.=0.44). Higher education students who participated in learning activities through community service projects had a significantly higher growth mindset than before the learning activities at the .05 statistical significance level.

Conclusion: Service learning is an effective approach to fostering a growth mindset in higher education students. Specifically, it utilizes a process that emphasizes hands-on experience, collaboration, and reflection. This process helps learners shift their beliefs about their abilities from a static perspective to one of potential improvement—a core element of a growth mindset and a fundamental basis for lifelong learning.

References

ชวลิต ชูกำแพง. (2565). การวิจัยและพัฒนาหลักสูตร: แนวคิดและกระบวนการ (พิมพ์ครั้งที่ 3). สำนักพิมพ์จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย.

ทรงศักดิ์ ภูสีอ่อน. (2561). การวิจัยและพัฒนาทางการศึกษา. ตักสิลาการพิมพ์.

ทิศนา แขมมณี. (2551). ศิลปะการสอน: องค์ความรู้เพื่อการจัดกระบวนการเรียนรู้ที่มีประสิทธิภาพ. สำนักพิมพ์แห่งจุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย.

ธนะดี สุริยะจันทร์หอม. (2561). การพัฒนารูปแบบการเสริมสร้างกรอบความคิดแบบเติบโตสำหรับนักศึกษาหลักสูตรวิชาชีพครู (ดุษฎีนิพนธ์ปรัชญาดุษฎีบัณฑิต, มหาวิทยาลัยมหาสารคาม).

มนตรี วงษ์สะพาน. (2563). พื้นฐานการวิจัยทางหลักสูตรและการสอน (พิมพ์ครั้งที่ 2). ตักสิลาการพิมพ์.

ศูนย์จิตวิทยาการศึกษา. (2561). Mindset กรอบความคิด. ศูนย์จิตวิทยาการศึกษา มูลนิธิยุวสถิรคุณ.

อารยา ปิยะกุล. (2558). เอกสารประกอบการสอนจิตวิทยาสำหรับครู. ภาควิชาจิตวิทยาการศึกษาและการแนะแนว คณะศึกษาศาสตร์ มหาวิทยาลัยมหาสารคาม.

Bringle, R. G., & Hatcher, J. A. (1995). A service-learning curriculum for faculty. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 2, 112–122. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/mjcsl/3239521.0002.111

Celio, C. I., Durlak, J., & Dymnicki, A. (2011). A meta-analysis of the impact of service-learning on students. Journal of Experiential Education, 34(2), 164–181. https://doi.org/10.1177/105382591103400205

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.

Dweck, C. S. (2016, January 13). What having a growth mindset actually means. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2016/01/what-having-a-growth-mindset-actually-means

Dweck, C. S., & Leggett, E. L. (1988). A social-cognitive approach to motivation and personality. Psychological Review, 95(2), 256–273. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.95.2.256

Eyler, J., & Giles, D. E., Jr. (1999). Where’s the learning in service-learning? Jossey-Bass.

Furco, A. (1996). Service-learning: A balanced approach to experiential education. In B. Taylor (Ed.), Expanding boundaries: Serving and learning (pp. 2–6). Corporation for National Service. https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/slceslgen/128

Goldstein, S., & Brooks, R. B. (2007). Why study resilience? In S. Goldstein & R. B. Brooks (Eds.), Handbook of resilience in children (pp. 3–15). Springer.

Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall.

Murphy, M. C., & Dweck, C. S. (2015). Mindsets shape consumer behavior. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 25(1), 85–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2014.05.005

Osman, R., & Petersen, N. (2013). Service learning in South Africa. Oxford University Press.

Yeager, D. S., & Dweck, C. S. (2012). Mindsets that promote resilience: When students believe that personal characteristics can be developed. Educational Psychologist, 47(4), 302–314. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2012.722805

Zarrinabadi, N., Rezazadeh, M., & Sarab, M. R. A. (2019). The relationship between growth mindset and self-efficacy among EFL learners. Cogent Psychology, 6(1), Article 1601486. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2019.1601486

Downloads

Published

2026-07-19

How to Cite

Puttasarin, T. ., & Sang-ngam, S. . (2026). Service Learning Projects to Enhance Growth Mindsets in Higher Education Students. Interdisciplinary Academic and Research Journal, 6(4), e299492 . https://doi.org/10.60027/iarj.2026.e299492

Issue

Section

Articles