Abstract
Studies on representative bureaucracy have often confirmed the positive performance effects of bureaucracies mirroring the demographic characteristics of their clientele. However, little is known about the underlying individual level mechanisms leading to these outcomes. In this study, theoretical ideas from representative bureaucracy literature and social and educational psychology are combined in a new model that explains effects of passive representation from the perspective of the individual client in the educational field. It is hypothesized that positive effects of gender congruence on students’ academic self-concepts are mediated by gender stereotypical beliefs of students. This mediation is expected to be moderated by the self-confidence of the teacher. Results of a survey experiment among students in a Dutch high school do not support the hypothesized relationships. The study does reveal gender differences in stereotypical beliefs and academic self-concepts though. Furthermore, the academic self-concept for math of both male and female students is higher if the math teacher is a woman. The study concludes with a discussion of the findings and avenues for future research on the role of stereotypical beliefs in the association between gender representation and student performance.
Highlights
Gender of the teacher The gender of the teacher in the vignette was indicated by the names Anouk and Daan and the pronouns ‘she’ and ‘he’
A dummy variable was created with a value of ‘1’ for a female teacher and a value of ‘0’ for a male teacher
Self-confidence teacher Self-confidence of the teacher is measured by describing the teacher as insecure or self-confident
Summary
Self-confidence teacher Self-confidence of the teacher is measured by describing the teacher as insecure (using characteristics such as ‘turning red’, ‘dropping the chalk’, ‘stumbling words’) or self-confident (using characteristics such as ‘making math fun’, and ‘enjoying teaching’, see Figure 2). Students had to respond to eleven statements on a 5-point Likert-scale (1 being totally agree, 5 totally disagree).
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