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Description
Language mindsets - beliefs about whether an individual’s language learning ability is immutable or malleable - have received much attention in psychology and education research due to its crucial role for learners’ motivation and achievement in foreign language learning. Despite this, research on the language mindsets pertaining to specific linguistic skills has been underexplored. This study aims to fill this gap by focusing on what patterns of mindsets Vietnamese tertiary students endorse about EFL speaking. The study employed a mixed-methods approach with a sample of 186 non-majored English undergraduates at a public university. The quantitative data were collected through a language mindset inventory with 18 items, using a 6-point Likert scale. The questionnaire was delivered to the EFL university students via online Google forms. Purposive sampling was used to gather qualitative data through interviews. The findings revealed that a majority of university-level students endorsed a growth mindset about EFL speaking while one third held a mixed mindset. The study implies that foreign language pedagogy should foster growth mindsets, while cultivating mixed mindsets among students.
