Comparison of the Effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing and Mindset Intervention on Academic Self-Efficacy among Female Secondary School Students

Nasrin Sadat  Seyed Maragheh; Khadijeh Abolmaali Alhosseini; Mohammad Azad  Abdollahpour; Aboutaleb Seadatee Shamir

doi:10.61838/xj27bb64

Authors

Nasrin Sadat Seyed Maragheh PhD student, Department of Psychology, Kish International Unit, Islamic Azad University, Kish, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1128-3008
Khadijeh Abolmaali Alhosseini Department of Psychology, NT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9714-1816
Mohammad Azad Abdollahpour Department of Educational Psychology, Mah.C., Islamic Azad University, Mahabad, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0116-7649
Aboutaleb Seadatee Shamir Department of Educational Psychology and Personality, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9057-9590

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61838/xj27bb64

Keywords:

Academic self-efficacy, mindset, motivational interviewing

Abstract

Purpose: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of motivational interviewing and a mindset intervention in improving academic self-efficacy among female secondary school students.

Methods and Materials: This study employed a quasi-experimental design with pretest, posttest, two-month follow-up, and control-group assessments. The statistical population consisted of female ninth-grade students enrolled in lower secondary schools in District 5 of Tehran during the 2024–2025 academic year. A total of 58 female students were randomly assigned to three groups: motivational interviewing (n = 19), mindset intervention (n = 19), and control (n = 20).

Findings: The results indicated that the effects of motivational interviewing and the mindset intervention differed significantly in relation to the aptitude component (p = .033) and the total academic self-efficacy score (p = .001). Specifically, the mindset intervention produced greater increases in the mean aptitude-component score and the total academic self-efficacy score than motivational interviewing. Accordingly, it was concluded that there was a significant difference between the effectiveness of motivational interviewing and the mindset intervention in improving academic self-efficacy among female secondary school students, with the mindset intervention being more effective.

Conclusion: The mindset intervention was more effective than motivational interviewing in enhancing academic self-efficacy among female secondary school students and may therefore be used as a more efficient intervention for this population.

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