Skip to content
Educator
KS3 Psychology

Growth mindset and motivation

50 questions5 subtopics
Practise all 50 questions free →

What's covered

Fixed vs growth mindset10
Habits and willpower10
Motivation — why we do things10
Resilience and bouncing back10
Setting goals10

Key facts

1

The psychologist Carol Dweck introduced the idea of fixed and growth mindsets.

2

The idea that any habit forms in exactly 21 days is a popular myth, not a scientific finding.

3

Dopamine is a brain chemical linked to reward, pleasure and motivation.

4

Asking for help when you are struggling is a sign of resilience, not weakness.

5

Breaking a big goal into small steps makes it feel manageable instead of overwhelming.

6

In a growth mindset, effort is seen as the way to get better at something.

7

The basal ganglia is the brain region that turns repeated actions into automatic habits.

8

Dopamine is released when we expect a reward, not only when we get it.

9

Calming strategies like deep breathing can help you manage stress in a difficult moment.

10

Celebrating small steps and effort keeps you motivated when things feel hard.

Sample questions

A taste of the 50 questions in this topic, answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.

1Fixed vs growth mindset

What is a growth mindset?

  • Always finishing tests first
  • Believing abilities can improve
  • Believing abilities never change
  • Never making any mistakes
2Habits and willpower

What are the three parts of the habit loop?

  • Cue, effort, willpower
  • Cue, routine, reward
  • Goal, routine, streak
  • Trigger, reward, sleep
3Motivation — why we do things

What does intrinsic motivation mean?

  • Doing something because a teacher told you to
  • Doing something because you enjoy it
  • Doing something to avoid being punished
  • Doing something to earn a prize or reward
4Resilience and bouncing back

Which statement best describes resilience?

  • A fixed trait you are born with
  • A mood that comes and goes randomly
  • A skill you can build with practice
  • A talent only some people can have
5Setting goals

How long does a short-term goal usually take to reach?

  • A whole school year
  • Days or weeks
  • Many years
  • Several months
6Fixed vs growth mindset

What is a fixed mindset?

  • Believing talents always improve
  • Believing talents cannot change
  • Enjoying every hard challenge
  • Learning quickly from mistakes

Try it for four weeks. Free.

One school. Unlimited classes. No card limit. No teacher limit. If your students aren't practising daily by the end of the trial, you owe us nothing.

More KS3 Psychology topics