Mathematics and science attitudes of African‐American middle grade students identified as gifted:gender and grade differences

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether significant gender and grade differences existed in the mathematics and science attitudes of 117 African‐American middle grade students identified as gifted using the Fennema‐Sherman Mathematics Attitudes Scales (Fennema & Sherman, 1976) and Attitude Survey of Junior High Science (Fisher, 1973). Subjects came from communities that were culturally, linguistically, and ethnically diverse, and had lower middle to middle socioeconomic class backgrounds. They ranged in age from 11 to 13 years. They were pulled out from their classes and administered both instruments in groups. A two‐way analysis of variance revealed significant gender differences in attitude toward success in mathematics and perceptions of mathematics as a male domain. No significant grade differences or interactions were found in any of the variables.