Relationships between theory of intelligence and academic performance in children: Domain differences in the influence of gender and self-esteem variables

This study examined domain-specific gender differences in children's domain specific theories of intelligence. It was based on Dweck's theory that individuals view intelligence as either fixed (entity theory) or flexible (incremental theory). The hypothesis that the mathematics and verbal domains would differ most for older, brighter girls who are highly sex-typed was confirmed in that more highly sex-typed older girls endorsed more entity-like thinking in the math area. Higher achievement level was related to more incremental thinking, with gender and domain effects found only among low and not high achievers. Theory interacted with age level in influencing English grades. Also, in terms of examining the effect of perceived competency on academic performance, academic and domain competency but not global self-esteem related to school grades. It was found that girls associated feelings of global self-worth to achievement test scores.