Measuring Gender Differences in Mathematics Interest: How Trustworthy Is the Instrument?

• In Event: Measuring Student Interest, Engagement, and Well-Being in Mathematics Instruction

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the measurement equivalence across gender of the Self Description Questionnaire I (SDQI), a well-cited instrument of children’s mathematics interest. Based on a sample of approximately 14,000 students from Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K), our item response theory (IRT)-based results indicate that the item-level measurement bias tends to be domain-specific across grade levels: cognitive, perceived competence items tend to be in favor of boys while affective, interest-related items tend to be in favor of girls. Moreover, the repeated measures in third- and fifth-grade also allow for an examination of the developmental trend of the measurement biases. Finally, limitations of the current study and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Authors

• Tianlan Wei, Mississippi State University

• Lucy M. Barnard-Brak, Texas Tech University

• Tara Stevens, Texas Tech University

• William Y. Lan, Texas Tech University