ability feedback lead older and younger children to adopt very different self-protection strategies.
Younger children associated ability with hard work whereas older children
commonly believed that more capable students do not need to apply much effort. White and Jones
(2000) documented the importance of recognising the developmental trend in which young children (4
to 9-year-olds) tend to interpret teacher praise at face value while older children (11 or 12-year-olds)
perceive praise for mediocre classroom performance as a signal of pity. Interestingly, both the students
and teachers had similar views about the types of behaviours that should be praised – both groups
indicated that behaviour was important for younger students, and as students grow older, effort and the
attainment of a goal should become the focus.