Who Are Students Competing Against? Comparisons to Male or Female Classmates for Performance Goals

• In Event: 66.071 - Postsecondary Achievement and Dropout: Explorations and Interventions From Multiple Theoretical Perspectives

Abstract

University students (N = 635) reported their goal adoption, comparisons to male and female classmates for each performance goal, and performance expectations compared to their male and female classmates. Despite the emergence of opposite sex stereotypes between STEM and non-STEM majors, students across majors compared significantly more to classmates of their same sex. Additionally, for students majoring in STEM fields, focusing on outperforming male classmates was associated with a marginally higher GPA whereas focusing on outperforming female classmates was associated with a lower GPA (even when controlling for performance goal adoption).

Author

• Emily Hangen, Harvard University