Stereotype Threat, Spatial Ability, and Gender: Math Performance in Male and Female Chinese Students

• In Event: 392 - Section on Asia and Asian America Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 09. Educational Inequality in Asia and Asian America

Abstract

Using GRE Math Subject test and the Mental Rotation Test (MRT), the present study was designed to test the effect of stereotype threat, investigate the relationship between spatial ability and math performance, and evaluate the effect of the type of math questions on math scores among Chinese college students. A total of 84 students (38 men and 46 women) completed the GRE-M test. MRT scores were obtained from 230 students (145 men and 85 women). The 84 students who had taken the math test were included in this group. We found no stereotype threat effect, no gender difference on the overall mean math score and on different types of math questions. An analysis of the math scores of only those students who were aware of the traditional math-gender stereotype and also believed it to be true yield a marginally significant interaction between gender and stereotype threat. However, contrary to stereotype-threat theory, women scored higher under that Threat condition than the No Threat condition, while men did the opposite. We did find significant gender difference favoring males on the MRT score, but observed no correlation between the MRT and the math scores. China’s math education and one-child policy were discussed as possibly explanations for these findings.

Authors

• Ming Tsui, Millsaps College

• Xiaoying Xu, Wuhan University of Technology

• Edmond Venator, Millsaps College

• Yan Wang, Millsaps College