Effect of Achievement-Related Gender Stereotypes on Math Anxiety and Achievement

• In Event: Poster Session 04
  In Poster Session: PS 04 Topic - Education, Schooling

Abstract

Data from the National Science Foundation indicate that women are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers and hold fewer degrees in STEM-related subjects (NSF, 2014). Research demonstrates that females hold more negative attitudes toward STEM by early adolescence (Graham & Morales-Chicas, 2015); these attitudes can then potentially decrease their engagement with and performance in the subject (Fredricks & Eccles, 2002). The present research seeks to understand factors that may contribute to gender differences in adolescents’ perceptions of and performance in mathematics. To achieve this goal, the current study explored whether endorsement of stereotypes about the intelligence and laziness of boys and girls predicted attitudes toward and achievement in mathematics amongst a sample of 9th grade students. When females endorse the stereotypes that few girls are smart and many are lazy, we expect them to have more negative attitudes toward and lower grades in math than males. Conversely, when males endorse the stereotypes that few boys are smart and many are lazy, we expect them to have more negative attitudes toward and lower grades in math than females.

Method. Participants for this research (N=2972; 53.7% female) were part of a longitudinal, large-scale study that surveyed students at ethnically diverse middle schools across California. The data used in this study looked at participants in 9th grade. To measure gender stereotypes, participants self-reported the proportion of boys and girls they believe are “smart” and “lazy” on a 5-point scale ranging from “Almost All” to “Hardly Any.” Participants also responded to three items on a 5-point scale to assess their math anxiety. School records were used to obtain participants’ math grades in the Fall and Spring semesters, and these grades were averaged to produce an overall math grade.

Results. Descriptive analyses revealed that girls have significantly higher math anxiety (m=2.77) than boys (m=2.53; t(2873.52)= -7.27, p<.001 ). Furthermore, the females in this study significantly outperformed their male counterparts in mathematics achievement (m=2.69 vs. m=2.48; t(2463)= -4.487, p<.001). Regression analyses were run to determine whether such differences in math anxiety and achievement were accounted for by an interaction between gender and the endorsement of the stereotypes about girls’ and boys’ intelligence and laziness. Results demonstrated that endorsement of the stereotype that many girls are smart was associated with greater math anxiety (B=-.143, p<.01) and lower mathematics grades (B=.173, p<.05) for males but not females (see Figure 1). Moreover, when boys endorsed the stereotype that many boys are lazy, they tended to have higher math anxiety as compared to girls (B=-.09, p<.05) (see Figure 2).

Discussion. Although the initial gender hypotheses were not confirmed, such findings indicate there is a riskiness for boys in holding the perception that many girls are smart and many boys are lazy through the association of such stereotypes with more negative math outcomes (i.e. higher math anxiety and lower math grades). Follow-up analyses will examine other factors that may influence gender differences in adolescents’ math attitudes and achievement, such as having supportive role models at school.

Author

• Piper Harris, University of California - Los Angeles
  Presenting Author