Online Faculty Fixed and Growth Mindsets that Influence Instructional Strategies: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how online faculty members described their fixed and growth mindsets as they influence their instructional strategies in the United States. The theoretical framework guiding the study is mindset theory. The research questions in this study include (RQ1) how online faculty members describe their growth mindset as it influences their instructional strategies and (RQ2) how online faculty members describe their fixed mindset as it influences their instructional strategies. A qualitative methodology and a descriptive research design is used for this study. The sample included 17 online faculty members. The researcher used a social media platform to recruit participants to gather robust data. The data was analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-step thematic analysis. Research findings for RQ1 included these three themes (a) online faculty described lifelong learning is to effectively teach in an online environment, (b) online faculty described the flexibility in online learning exhibits a growth mindset, and (c) the future of teaching is to foster a growth mindset in an online environment. The findings for RQ2 included the two themes (a) online faculty described obstacles that exhibited fixed behaviors before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and (b) online faculty descriptions of lack of work/life balance due to fixed behaviors in online learning. The future implications is online faculty should develop a growth mindset in online platforms and modify instructional strategies to support an online environment. Future research should explore how professional development trainings influence course redesign for online learning environments.