Exploring the impact of growth mindset and grit on college students’ athletic performance

Psychological factors (e.g., mindset and grit) are increasingly recognized as pivotal to endurance performance, yet their joint influence on endurance task in physical education remains under-explored, especially among Chinese university students. This study tested whether growth mindset and grit predict 800-meter run performance among Chinese university students and whether grit mediates the mindset–performance link. Two hundred fifty-four undergraduates (134 men, 120 women; M = 19.26, SD = 0.73) completed domain-specific scales for growth mindset and grit (perseverance of effort and consistency of interest), followed by an 800-meter run. Structural equation modelling showed that growth mindset had no direct effect on finish time; instead, its influence was channeled through perseverance of effort ( β = 0.23, 95% CI [0.07, 0.38]). Consistency of interest was unrelated to performance. The findings provided the culture-specific, behavioral evidence that belief in improvable ability can lead to sustained effort, which in turn influence athletic performance in a single-occasion endurance task. Pedagogical suggestions were proposed based on the findings.