My daughter recently encountered this mindset discussion at school. I saw the worksheet they gave, and it appeared to me that both mindsets were probably misrepresented. As portrayed, both mindsets were clearly false. My understanding is that the growth mindset was never supposed to be scientifically true, but rather it was intended as a motivational tool for parents and teachers to use to increase effort from the students.
I don't believe anyone knows how to increase our intellectual potential, so I suppose that points to the fixed mindset as being more accurate.
It seems to me that effort and talent both play a role in achievement. If I were trying to simplify the related factors for elementary school children, I think I'd do so in one of the following ways:
Achievement = Support x Effort x Talent + Luck
or
Achievement = Opportunity x Support x Effort x Talent + Luck
I would think the schools would want to accentuate the importance of support, since that's what they offer. Also, there's lessons to be learned there, regarding asking questions when you don't understand something. A student who requests support when needed will achieve more than a similar student who refuses to ask for support.
Thoughts?
