College students’ mindsets and second-language academic text reading: an eye-movement study

Recent research has confirmed that growth mindsets (GMs) have a positive effect on reading performance and attitudes towards engagement. However, due to the scarce use of second language (L2) texts as reading materials, if mindsets are relevant to L2 reading processes remain unclear. This study used an eye tracker, questionnaires, and a reading comprehension test to explore the relationship between readers’ language mindsets and levels of concentration and willingness to read L2 academic texts, reading processes, and comprehension performance. Data were collected from 107 college students with English as a second language. Participants filled out the Language Mindsets Inventory, read an academic English text with their eye movements recorded, and completed comprehension post-tests. Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed that students who considered language intelligence malleable also thought their English learning ability was changeable, had higher levels of concentration and willingness to read academic articles, and had better general English reading ability than those whose language intelligence level was fixed. Moreover, multiple regression analysis revealed that students approaching the growth mindset end had a shorter single-mean fixation duration (i.e., faster decoding) when reading the academic text, and this eye-movement measure could further predict their academic English reading comprehension outcomes, with general English ability providing mediating effects. Overall, the findings suggest that students’ language mindsets are directly relevant to L2 academic text reading processes, concentration, and willingness levels and indirectly relevant to reading comprehension performance.