Examining the Relationship Between Teacher Math-Gender Stereotypes and Students’ Math Outcomes

• In Event: Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Topic - Education, Schooling

Abstract

The underrepresentation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) subfields is an important issue to address. Given research suggesting that math self-concept and achievement predict later STEM career aspirations (Seo et al., 2018), and that girls report lower levels of math self-concept and have marginally lower math performance than boys (Good et al., 2012), understanding factors that underlie the development of math self-concept and achievement may be key to addressing these imbalances.
Exposure to math-gender stereotypes, which contend that boys have more natural ability and interest in math (Nosek et al., 2009), may be one such factor. Research suggests children begin to endorse math-gender stereotypes around the third grade (Steffens et al., 2010), making early elementary school a key period for stereotype development. Children absorb stereotyped beliefs from the adults around them, so teachers may play an important role in the development of academic stereotypes (Tiedemann, 2000). Evidence also suggests that many teachers hold stereotyped beliefs about math and gender (Li, 1999), and that they may transmit these beliefs to their students (Keller, 2001). In turn, awareness and endorsement of math-gender stereotypes have been associated with lower math achievement (Cvencek et al., 2015) and self-concept (Passolunghi et al., 2014) in girls, which can result in reduced math interest and engagement (Marsh et al., 2005). This study aims to test the hypothesis that there is a relationship between teacher math-gender stereotyping and student math performance and math self-concept, especially for girls. We also aim to test the hypothesis that student math-gender stereotyping mediates this relationship.
The data come from a sample of kindergarten through third-grade teachers and students from 29 schools in 5 districts of a Southern US state. In Fall 2018, approximately 225 teachers completed a math-gender stereotyped beliefs measure adapted from Steele (2003). In both Fall and Spring of the 2018/19 school year, their approximately 2500 students completed a 5-item math self-concept measure (adapted from Fredricks and Eccles (2002) and a 28-item math achievement test (adapted from Schoen et al., 2018). A subsample of students, the approximately 650 third-grade students, competed the same math-gender stereotyped beliefs measure that the teachers completed.
To test the hypothesis that teacher math-gender stereotyping is related to student math self-concept and achievement, we will use multi-level path analysis on the whole sample, using teacher gender-stereotyped beliefs as a predictor of self-concept and achievement in Spring (controlling for Fall self-concept and achievement, age, and SES), and test if relations differ by gender using a multigroup approach. If teacher stereotyping is a significant predictor of self-concept or math achievement, we will examine teacher math-gender stereotyped beliefs as a predictor of student beliefs in the third-grade students and their teachers. If this also proves significant, we will test the second hypothesis, that student math-gender stereotyping mediates the relation between teacher math-gender stereotyping and student math self-concept and achievement in third-grade students. The data for this project has already been collected. Final data entry is ongoing, with data analysis expected to take place in November 2020.

Authors

• Rachel A. Conlon, Florida State University
  Presenting Author

• Colleen M Ganley, Florida State Univeristy
  Non-Presenting Author

• Christopher State Schatschneider, Florida State Univeristy
  Non-Presenting Author