Abstract
The self-concept of ability in math in elementary school is an early predictor for future math-related choices and careers. Unfortunately, already at this early age girls report lower ability self-concepts in math than boys - despite their comparable performances in objective math competence tests. In the present study we focus on teachers’ beliefs as factors explaining these gender differences. Women’s underrepresentation in math and science in academia has recently been explained by the belief held by the environment that success in these domains requires an innate ability that cannot be taught (“brilliance”). In addition, teachers’ beliefs regarding their students’ mathematical aptitude have also been found to influence students’ self-concepts of ability. Here, we study if teachers’ beliefs regarding their students’ mathematical aptitude and brilliance beliefs may account for gender differences in elementary school students’ self-concept of ability in math and thus potentially contribute to entering the gendered path into math and science professions. In a sample of 830 fourth graders (M = 9.14 years old, 49% female) and 56 elementary school teachers from Germany, we assessed teachers’ beliefs regarding their students’ mathematical aptitude and their belief that children need brilliance to succeed in math as well as children’s mathematical ability self-concept and competencies. In line with prior research, boys reported a statistically significantly more positive math ability self-concept (d = 0.50), although boys and girls reached similar scores in a standardized math competence test (d = 0.07). However, multilevel regression analyses revealed that teachers’ math brilliance beliefs were not related to the gender gap in students’ ability self-concept in expense of girls whereas the gender gap was mediated by teachers’ beliefs about their students’ mathematical aptitude. These findings suggest that math brilliance beliefs held by important socializers such as teachers might not play a role in explaining gender differences in math-related motivation in elementary school whereas teachers’ beliefs about students’ math aptitude do. Results are discussed against the background of teacher expectancy effects, developmental changes in elementary school, and cultural differences.
Highlights
“You need to be a math person to be good at math.” Such beliefs are widespread in Western industrialized societies (Rattan et al, 2012; Chestnut et al, 2018)
In a German sample, the present study aims to explore whether already in elementary school math brilliance beliefs held by the teacher relate to girls’ lower ability self-concept in math, despite boys and girls showing similar math competence
We focused on the role that teachers’ beliefs play in gender differences in math ability self-concepts
Summary
“You need to be a math person to be good at math.” Such beliefs are widespread in Western industrialized societies (Rattan et al, 2012; Chestnut et al, 2018). Gender gaps in ability self-concepts (or confidence) seem to be larger than in intrinsic motivation (or interest) or the perceived usefulness and importance of math (Wigfield et al, 1997; Ganley and Lubienski, 2016) suggesting that children’s competence beliefs are more likely to be affected by prior learning experiences and socializers’ beliefs in a gender-specific way than children’s valuing of the respective domain These findings indicate that a domain that is stereotyped as male will still be highly valued by girls and women irrespective of their perceptions of their own abilities, possibly reflecting the high status of those fields or occupations perceived as male or masculine in our society
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