IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hhb/hastel/2026_005.html

Perseverance in the classroom: findings from a randomised educational intervention in primary schools in England

Author

Listed:
  • Foliano, Francesca

    (Center for Education and Leadership Excellence)

  • Hoskins, Sherria

    (University of Portsmouth)

  • Rolfe, Heather

    (British Future)

Abstract

We evaluate a cluster randomised trial of a teacher-delivered programme aimed at increasing perseverance and academic achievement in primary school pupils across 100 schools in England. Year 6 teachers in treatment schools receive training in growth mindset theory and deliver an eight-week programme of structured classroom sessions. The intervention has no impact on Key Stage 2 test scores in reading, mathematics, or grammar, punctuation and spelling and this null result holds across all subgroups, including pupils eligible for Free School Meals. The intervention does produce a large shift in pupils’ beliefs about the malleability of their intelligence (0.417 standard deviations), confirming that the programme was received as intended, and a positive effect on intrinsic motivation towards learning (0.127 SD).

Suggested Citation

  • Foliano, Francesca & Hoskins, Sherria & Rolfe, Heather, 2026. "Perseverance in the classroom: findings from a randomised educational intervention in primary schools in England," Working Papers 26/5, Stockholm School of Economics, Center for Educational Leadership and Excellence.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhb:hastel:2026_005
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://swoba.hhs.se/hastel/paper/hastel2026_005.1.pdf
    File Function: Full text
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David S. Yeager & Paul Hanselman & Gregory M. Walton & Jared S. Murray & Robert Crosnoe & Chandra Muller & Elizabeth Tipton & Barbara Schneider & Chris S. Hulleman & Cintia P. Hinojosa & David Paunesk, 2019. "A national experiment reveals where a growth mindset improves achievement," Nature, Nature, vol. 573(7774), pages 364-369, September.
    2. Flavio Cunha & James J. Heckman & Susanne M. Schennach, 2010. "Estimating the Technology of Cognitive and Noncognitive Skill Formation," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 78(3), pages 883-931, May.
    3. Elise Huillery & Adrien Bouguen & Axelle Charpentier & Yann Algan & Coralie Chevallier, 2025. "The Role of Mindset in Education: A Large-Scale Field Experiment in Disadvantaged Schools," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 135(671), pages 2276-2301.
    4. Santos,Indhira Vanessa & Petroska-Beska,Violeta & Amaro Da Costa Luz Carneiro,Pedro Manuel & Eskreis-Winkler,Lauren & Munoz Boudet,Ana Maria & Berniell,Ines & Krekel,Christian & Arias,Omar & Duckworth, 2021. "Can Grit Be Taught ? Lessons from a Nationwide Field Experiment with Middle-School Students," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9831, The World Bank.
    5. James J. Heckman & Jora Stixrud & Sergio Urzua, 2006. "The Effects of Cognitive and Noncognitive Abilities on Labor Market Outcomes and Social Behavior," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 24(3), pages 411-482, July.
    6. Bettinger, Eric & Ludvigsen, Sten & Rege, Mari & Solli, Ingeborg F. & Yeager, David, 2018. "Increasing perseverance in math: Evidence from a field experiment in Norway," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 1-15.
    7. Kautz, Tim & Heckman, James J. & Diris, Ron & ter Weel, Bas & Borghans, Lex, 2014. "Fostering and Measuring Skills: Improving Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Skills to Promote Lifetime Success," IZA Discussion Papers 8696, IZA Network @ LISER.
    8. repec:oup:ecojnl:v:135:y:2025:i:671:p:2276-2301. is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Sule Alan & Teodora Boneva & Seda Ertac, 2019. "Ever Failed, Try Again, Succeed Better: Results from a Randomized Educational Intervention on Grit," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 134(3), pages 1121-1162.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zou, Jian, 2024. "The peer effect of persistence on student achievement," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    2. Piza, Caio & Furtado,Isabela & Amorim, Vivian De Fatima, 2023. "Experimental Evaluation of a Financial Education Program in Elementary and Middle School Grades," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10511, The World Bank.
    3. Dinarte, Lelys & Egaña del Sol, Pablo & Martínez, Claudia & Rojas Alvarado, Cindy Jacqueline, 2024. "When Emotion Regulation Matters: The Efficacy of Socio-Emotional Learning to Address School-Based Violence in Central America," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 13448, Inter-American Development Bank.
    4. Dinarte Diaz, Lelys & Egana-delSol, Pablo & Martínez A., Claudia & Rojas A., Cindy, 2024. "When Emotion Regulation Matters: The Efficacy of Socio-Emotional Learning to Address School-Based Violence in Central America," IZA Discussion Papers 16831, IZA Network @ LISER.
    5. Grosch, Kerstin & Haeckl, Simone & Kocher , Martin G., 2022. "Closing the gender STEM gap. A large-scale randomized-controlled trial in elementary schools," UiS Working Papers in Economics and Finance 2022/4, University of Stavanger.
    6. De Paola, Maria & Skatova, Ekaterina, 2024. "Non-cognitive skills and social isolation in late childhood: An investigation of their impact on school performance in Italy," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    7. David J. Deming & Mikko I. Silliman, 2024. "Skills and Human Capital in the Labor Market," NBER Working Papers 32908, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Wu, Binglan & Feng, Shuaizhang & Zhang, Yijing & Han, Yujie, 2025. "Do children's time preferences predict future school outcomes?," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    9. Mark Mitchell & Marta Favara & Catherine Porter & Alan Sánchez, 2025. "Human Capital Development: New Evidence on the Production of Socio-Emotional Skills," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 60(4), pages 1175-1216.
    10. Etienne Dagorn & David Masclet & Thierry Penard, 2026. "Altruism, cooperativeness and academic achievement: a lab in the field experiment in French middle schools," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(1), pages 1-28, January.
    11. Seemanti Ghosh, 2020. "Can enhancing consciousness of control ideology mitigate the impact of poverty on perseverance?," Working Papers 2020_22, Business School - Economics, University of Glasgow.
    12. Santos,Indhira Vanessa & Petroska-Beska,Violeta & Amaro Da Costa Luz Carneiro,Pedro Manuel & Eskreis-Winkler,Lauren & Munoz Boudet,Ana Maria & Berniell,Ines & Krekel,Christian & Arias,Omar & Duckworth, 2021. "Can Grit Be Taught ? Lessons from a Nationwide Field Experiment with Middle-School Students," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9831, The World Bank.
    13. Mark Mitchell & Marta Favara & Catherine Porter & Alan Sánchez, 2020. "Human Capital Development," Working Papers 308280110, Lancaster University Management School, Economics Department.
    14. Eva Berger, 2020. "Self-productivity and Cross-productivity in the Process of Skill Formation," Working Papers 2027, Gutenberg School of Management and Economics, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz.
    15. Del Bono, Emilia & Etheridge, Ben & Garcia, Paul, 2024. "The economic value of childhood socio-emotional skills," ISER Working Paper Series 2024-01, Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    16. Buser, Thomas & Ahlskog, Rafael & Johannesson, Magnus & Koellinger, Philipp & Oskarsson, Sven, 2024. "The causal effect of genetic variants linked to cognitive and non-cognitive skills on education and labor market outcomes," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    17. Daniel Schunk & Eva M. Berger & Henning Hermes & Kirsten Winkel & Ernst Fehr, 2022. "Teaching self-regulation," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 6(12), pages 1680-1690, December.
      • Daniel Schunk & Eva M. Berger & Henning Hermes & Kirsten Winkel & Ernst Fehr, 2022. "Teaching Self-Regulation," Working Papers 2210, Gutenberg School of Management and Economics, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz.
    18. Johannes Abeler & Armin Falk & Fabian Kosse, 2025. "Malleability of Preferences for Honesty," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 135(667), pages 982-998.
    19. Breitkopf, Laura & Chowdhury, Shyamal K. & Priyam, Shambhavi & Schildberg-Hörisch, Hannah & Sutter, Matthias, 2020. "Do economic preferences of children predict behavior?," DICE Discussion Papers 342, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE).
    20. Sarrias, Mauricio & Blanco, Alejandra, 2022. "Bodyweight and human capital development: Assessing the impact of obesity on socioemotional skills during childhood in Chile," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • D04 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Microeconomic Policy: Formulation; Implementation; Evaluation
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hhb:hastel:2026_005. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Helena Lundin (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/hhstose.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.