International insights into the academic mindset of economics students

This paper investigates the academic mindset of economics students across eight countries using a large-scale dataset collected through the Economic Education Network for Experiments (EENE) in 2023/24 and 2024/25. Surveys from 1188 students and 13 instructors across 18 modules at 11 universities outside the United States measured four dimensions of academic mindset — belonging, self-efficacy, growth mindset, and perceived relevance — at the start and end of a teaching term.

We find that students’ mindsets are dynamic and context-dependent rather than uniformly improving over time. While perceptions of belonging within economics and the discipline’s relevance tended to increase, general self-efficacy and beliefs about the accessibility of economics declined during the academic term. Gender consistently emerged as an important source of heterogeneity: non-male students reported lower self-efficacy and weaker perceived relevance of economics, with several gaps remaining evident by term’s end. Pedagogical context was also associated with outcomes: active learning environments and intermediate-level courses were often linked to stronger mindset measures, while larger institutions and later academic years were sometimes associated with weaker outcomes. Cross-national variation was substantial.

These results highlight that student self-efficacy and identity with economics are associated not only with individual characteristics but also with pedagogical practice and institutional context. The findings point to the potential value of inclusive, interactive teaching and culturally sensitive approaches to support diverse participation in economics education worldwide.