Gender Differences in the Interest in Mathematics Schoolwork Across 50 Countries.

Kimmo Eriksson

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.578092

Kimmo Eriksson

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.578092

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Abstract

Although much research has found girls to be less interested in mathematics than boys are, there are many countries in which the opposite holds. I hypothesize that variation in gender differences in interest are driven by a complex process in which national culture promoting high math achievement drives down interest in math schoolwork, with the effect being amplified among girls due to their higher conformity to peer influence. Predictions from this theory were tested in a study of data on more than 500,000 grade 8 students in 50 countries from the 2011 and 2015 waves of TIMSS. Consistent with predictions, national achievement levels were strongly negatively correlated with national levels of math schoolwork interest and this variation was larger among girls: girls in low-achievement, high-interest countries had especially high interest in math schoolwork, whereas girls in high-achievement, low-interest countries had especially low interest in math schoolwork. Gender differences in math schoolwork interest were also found to be related to gender differences in math achievement, emphasizing the importance of understanding them better.

Highlights

Children and young adolescents are typically obliged to go to school and must take part in schoolwork even if they do not find it interesting
In the 2011 and 2015 waves of Trends in Mathematics and Science Survey (TIMSS), the questionnaire included items on students’ interest in what the teacher says and students’ interest in what the teacher tells them to do. No such questions were included in previous waves of TIMSS, nor have they been included in other large-scale international student assessments like PISA
RQ2c: Is There a Positive Correlation Between National Levels of Math Schoolwork Interest and Gender Gaps in Math Schoolwork Interest Favoring Girls? In line with the prediction, there was a strong positive correlation between the total country level of math schoolwork interest and the gender difference in math schoolwork interest, r(48) = 0.60, 95% CI [0.39, 0.78], p < 0.001

Summary

Introduction

Children and young adolescents are typically obliged to go to school and must take part in schoolwork even if they do not find it interesting. It is preferable that students are interested in their schoolwork, both because they are likely to experience more satisfaction in school and because they are likely to achieve better (e.g., Artelt et al, 2003) Given these benefits of having high levels of interest, it is problematic that a large body of research has found that girls tend to have less interest in mathematics than boys do (Hyde et al, 1990; Lippa, 1998; Preckel et al, 2008; Su et al, 2009; Frenzel et al, 2010). The present research aims to better understand why the level of interest in mathematics schoolwork may differ between the average boys and the average girls in a society develop, and why the difference may go either way depending on the society

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