(CNN) It's widely accepted that teachers and parents should praise the effort kids make -- rather than praise their innate ability -- if they want their students and children to be successful. Similarly, a new study suggests that encouraging children to silently repeat statements to themselves that emphasize effort over ability could bring greater success. Mantras like "I will do my very best" during a math exam, for example, can actually improve test scores for some kids. "We did not find the same result among children with low self-confidence who spoke to themselves about ability. The Dutch researchers studied 212 children ages 9 to 13 years old -- an age when researchers said negative feelings about students' abilities at school become more common -- and asked kids about how competent they felt they were at math.

Source: CNN December 17, 2019 08:37 UTC