Undergraduate students are leaving higher education at an alarming rate. Student retention is one of the most important measures of success at a university. This study engaged in an action research (AR) study using Dweck's (2006) theory of growth mindset to study growth mindset in relation to the retention of undergraduate students seeking an associate degree at a 4-year public institution. The research was guided by an overarching question: "What is learned at the individual, group, and system levels that advances theory and practice in growth mindset as it relates to undergraduate student retention in a 4-year public institution?" The study also sought to inquire into the following subquestions: a. What is the relationship between growth mindset pedagogical approaches and student outcomes, as illustrated by quantitative data? b. How do students' and faculty's mindsets shift in an academic semester through experiencing classroom interventions reflective of growth mindset? Multiple sources of evidence, including surveys, focus groups, interviews, reflections, archival documents, and observations, were used to obtain data and derive findings through analysis. The analytic approach to explore qualitative data was thematic coding using NVivo, Excel, and Word software. The analytic approach to explore quantitative data was descriptive statistics, t-tests, and meta-analysis in SPSS statistical software. The results of this study corroborate previous research on the relationship of mindset and academic performance. The findings concerning student mindset indicated that pedagogical shifts that use the growth mindset (a) helped increase students' growth mindset, (b) helped decrease their fixed mindset, and (c) increased student persistence. The findings concerning faculty mindset indicated that educators need to be fully immersed in the growth mindset to practice it effectively within their daily pedagogical approaches. It was also found that while faculty hold beliefs that students can grow their intelligence, they do not fully espouse this theory in their narratives. Results also imply that the action research methodology could be leveraged to address student retention practices in higher education. The collaboration and participatory approach of action research has positive implications for practice. A unique survey design for associate undergraduate students could be leveraged by researchers and practitioners to design a more effective approach to realistic survey responses. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]