Gender Differences in High School Students’ Beliefs about Mathematical Problem Solving

Abstract

This study investigated high school students’ mathematical problem- solving beliefs based on their gender. A mathematical problem-solving beliefs questionnaire comprising 36 items across six beliefs scales was administered to a sample of 490 students (288 boys and 202 girls) from three schools: a mixed-sex school (106 boys and 103 girls), a single-sex boys’ school with 182 students, and a single-sex girls’ school with 99 students. The independent samples t-test was used to analyse the effect of gender on high school students’ mathematical problem-solving beliefs. Results revealed that there was a significant difference in students’ beliefs that some word problems cannot be solved with simple, step-by-step procedures, with girls exhibiting higher beliefs than boys. However, when the entire sample was analysed, gender did not have an overall effect on students’ mathematical problem-solving beliefs. It was further revealed that gender did not have a significant effect on students’ mathematical problem-solving beliefs at a mixed-sex (boys and girls) school. Results are important for the implementation of a problem-solving approach in a new mathematics curriculum. In addition, the results contribute to the literature in mathematics education by highlighting the importance of gender when considering debates about students’ problem-solving beliefs in mathematics.