The Influence of Cooperative Problem Solving on Gender Differences in Achievement, Self-Efficacy, and Attitudes Toward Mathematics in Gifted Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate gender differences in self-efficacy, attitudes toward mathematics, and achievement of 48 gifted seventh- and eighth-grade students after participating in a two-week course on probability and statistics that was taught with a mathematical problemn-solving approach using heuristic strategies. A pretest-posttest control group design was used, in which students were randomly assigned to one of two experimental groups or to a control group during a summnier enrichment program offered to talented students. Although the literature suggests that cooperative learning settings, particularly single-gender groups, are more beneficial for females, no statistical differences in achievement or self-efficacy were found among the groups. Statistically significant differences in attitudes toward mathematics were found favoring students in the whole-group instruction, competitive setting.