Role of Caring in First-Year Composition: An Empirical Study of Mindsets, Dispositions, and Domain Identification

Abstract

This empirical study is an attempt to expand teachers' understanding of the relationship between students' attitudes and performance in the writing classroom. The researcher is particularly interested in how personality and beliefs can influence individuals' readiness for college writing. Applying concepts from educational psychology, the researcher examines how domain identification and caring can potentially be important factors in determining students' preparation and success in higher education. In a survey of more than 200 first-year composition students, caring was measured and analyzed, resulting in a valid Caring Scale. In addition to providing a framework to measure caring, this study also found several correlations between caring, mindsets towards intelligence, and standardized test performance.