Your teacher hands back a test and you did poorly. At this moment, you wish you could hide from the world. But according to a research, what's more important is how you react in the long term. Scientists say students can be divided into two groups. The first, called "mastery-oriented learners" view poor results as challenges to do better in the future. The second, called "helpless learners" will respond just by giving up.
But surprisingly, this attitude is even more important than a student's natural intelligence. However smart, eventually you'll come across question you cannot answer. When you do, it's important not to fall victim to helplessness. Learned helplessness was first discovered in an experiment where some dogs suffered from electrical shocks they couldn't escape from. Later, their feeling of helplessness was so strong that they made no attempt to escape even when they could.
So what makes you a different learner? Mastery-oriented learners believe hard work is the key to success. Faced with failure, they simply conclude they need to try harder. However, helpless learners believe intelligence is inborn. Thus, when they have difficulties they conclude they are not smart enough and that improving on their intelligence isn't possible.
If you want to be a mastery-oriented person, you can. If you think you can do better, keep trying and the results will surely follow.
A. Start by not letting negative results discourage you.
B. It's feeling many students are familiar with.
C. It all comes down to your idea of intelligence.
D. That's because you should have worked hard.
E. Whether you're intelligent, ambition counts.
F. To them, success in school seems to rely on natural talent and ability.
G. As you would expect, the first group performs better than the second.
