The Effect of Praise for Effort versus Praise for Intelligence on the Learning of English Conditional Structures by Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners

OOver the past few decades, studies have gained considerable momentum on the concept of growth mindset, which has become one of the major factors in evaluating learner uptake of academic outcomes. This quantitative study examined how the incorporation of praise for intelligence and praise for effort affects young Iranian language students’ achievement of English conditional structures. For this purpose, a Quick Oxford Placement Test (QOPT) was administered to the target population of female learners learning English in a private language institution. From those at the lower intermediate proficiency level, three groups, 25 in each, were randomly selected and divided into one control group and two experimental groups, namely praise for effort and praise for intelligence. All the groups attended grammar lessons on English conditionals for twelve 75-minute evening sessions on alternate days of the week. Prior to the treatment, a pretest on grammar conditionals was applied to assess the learners’ entry behavior. After the treatment, a parallel form of the same test was given to gauge the efficacy of the intervention. The analysis of the obtained data revealed that the proper use of praise for effort and praise for intelligence could improve the learners’ competence in conditional structures compared to those in the no-treatment group. Notably, the results of the study may offer practical implications for how language teachers improve learners’ success in language grammar in general and English conditional structures in particular.