Mindsets Towards Others Matter for Mathematics Self-Efficacy: Focusing on Moderation Effects of Social Comparison Motives

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among mindsets towards self and others (i.e., classmates), social comparison motive, and mathematics self-efficacy. Study 1 demonstrated that when sources of self-efficacy were controlled, growth mindset towards others facilitated students’ mathematics self-efficacy, indicating that positively appreciating others’ mathematics ability as malleable could be motivationally adaptive. Furthermore, when sources of self-efficacy were controlled, Study 2 revealed that this facilitation effect was only found among those students who had low self-enhancement motive. Having low self-enhancement motive means that students are less likely to compare themselves with others who have lower achievements. However, when students had high self-enhancement motive, the growth mindset toward others undermined mathematics self-efficacy.