The Role of Students' Stereotypes in the Gender Gap Regarding Mathematics and Language Arts Interest: The Use of a Variable-Centered and a Person-Centered Approach

• In Event: 73.062 - Poster Session 17
  In Poster Session: 73.062-4 - Motivation in Education SIG Poster Session 1

Abstract

This study used both a variable-centered approach and a person-centered approach to examine the mechanisms by which ability stereotypes relate to students’ interest and account for the gender gap in mathematics and language arts interest. Therefore, 662 grade 6 and 8 students reported their stereotypes and interest in mathematics and language arts. Results revealed that in accordance with a variable-centered approach, stereotypes in the domain of language arts relate to subsequent interest in language arts—the corresponding subject domain—and account for gender differences in language arts interest. Conversely, in line with a person-centered approach, it is not exclusively mathematics stereotypes that account for gender gaps in mathematics interest, but rather the comparison between mathematics and language arts stereotypes.

Authors

• Isabelle Plante, University of Quebec - Montreal

• Simon-Benoît Kinch, Université du Québec à Montréal

• Jonathan Bruneau St-Onge, Université du Québec à Montréal