Gender Disparities Impact on Pre-Service Teachers' Attitudes in Mathematics and Statistics Education

Abstract

The research investigates the impact of gender disparities on prospective teachers' attitudes towards statistics in mathematics education. The problem is a lack of understanding of how gender influences attitudes towards statistics. This research aims to explore differences in attitudes towards statistics based on gender and identify factors that influence these attitudes. The urgency lies in the importance of better understanding how gender can influence attitudes toward statistics among prospective teachers. This research method uses the Attitudes towards Statistics Survey (SATS-36) survey which was completed by 355 prospective teachers from 7 TTCs who were randomly selected. Data was collected through an online survey and analyzed using an independent T-test to compare the attitudes of prospective teachers based on gender. The results show that prospective teachers have a positive attitude towards statistics and gender has a significant influence on attitudes towards statistics. A significant difference was found in attitudes towards statistics between male and female teacher candidates, with men tending to have more positive attitudes. The conclusion is that gender plays an important role in shaping prospective teachers' attitudes towards statistics. The implication is that special attention is needed to pay attention to gender factors in developing mathematics education curricula to increase interest and understanding of statistics among prospective teachers.