Math Self-efficacy Research Articles

Exploring teachers’ and students’ gender role bias and students’ confidence in STEM fields

There is a shortfall of girls and women pursuing STEM disciplines, a deficit that may be partially attributed to subtle forms of bias that are tied to traditional gender role stereotypes. The current study examined these subtle biases in high school teachers and students in two ways: by asking teachers and students to attribute masculine and feminine traits to the typical scientist or humanities professional, and by inquiring about the academic performance assumed of boys and girls. In addition, students were surveyed about their own self-efficacy in math and science courses and gender-balanced teaching initiatives present in the classroom. Results showed that teachers and students exhibited subtle bias by attributing more masculine characteristics to a scientist and feminine characteristics to the humanities. Teachers and students also reported their belief that boys tend to perform better than girls in STEM disciplines. Finally, our results echoed previous literature examining self-efficacy discrepancies for girls in math and science classes, and indicated a lack of gender-balanced teaching initiatives in math and science classes. These results have broad implications for the lack of women in STEM disciplines, and they also reveal a potential means of classroom intervention to help counteract these subtle forms of bias.

The role of self-regulated learning in students' success in flipped undergraduate math courses

Based upon the self-regulated learning theory, this study examined the relationships between academic achievement and three key self-regulatory constructs - prior domain knowledge, self-efficacy, and the use of learning strategies - in two flipped undergraduate math courses. Structural equation modeling was employed as the primary method to analyze the relationships in both the pre-class and in-class learning environments of the flipped courses. The results of the study showed that students' self-efficacy in learning math and the use of help seeking strategies were all significantly positively related with academic achievement in both pre- and in-class learning environments. In addition, students' self-efficacy in collaborative learning had a positive impact on their use of help seeking strategies during in-class learning. The theoretical and instructional implications are discussed.

Early Childhood Educators’ Self-Efficacy in Science, Math, and Literacy Instruction and Science Practice in the Classroom

ABSTRACTResearch Findings: Quality early science education is important for addressing the low science achievement, compared to international peers, of elementary students in the United States. Teachers’ beliefs about their skills in a content area, that is, their content self-efficacy is important because it has implications for teaching practice and child outcomes. However, little is known about how teachers’ self-efficacy for literacy, math and science compare and how domain-specific self-efficacy relates to teachers’ practice in the area of science. Analysis of survey and observation data from 67 Head Start classrooms across eight programs indicated that domain-specific self-efficacy was highest for literacy, significantly lower for science, and lowest for math. Classrooms varied, but in general, engaged in literacy far more than science, contained a modest amount of science materials, and their instructional support of science was low. Importantly, self-efficacy for science, but not literacy or math, related to teachers frequency of engaging children in science instruction. Teachers’ education and experience did not predict self-efficacy for science. Practice or Policy: To enhance the science opportunities provided in early childhood classrooms, pre-service and in-service education programs should provide teachers with content and practices for science rather than focusing exclusively on literacy.

Connecting Math Attitudes with STEM Career Attainment: A Latent Class Analysis Approach

BackgroundFor many years now, there have been many job vacancies in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), but not enough workers to fill these vacancies. Much attention has been given to understanding and changing this situation in our country.PurposeThe purpose of this study is to address this dilemma by understanding what may be gained by investigating student's attitudes towards STEM in high school. Specifically, we study the relationship between students’ math attitudes and math self-efficacy beliefs and their career outcomes in STEM. Further, we do this across different English proficiency levels to see if any understanding may be gained by studying these groups differently.Research DesignThis study implemented secondary analysis by using a nationally representative sample of U.S. 10th graders from the Education Longitudinal Study. A latent class analysis was used to classify students’ math attitudes and self-efficacy.ResultsThe results from this study provide empirical support suggesting that across all three English proficiency groups, students with high math attitudes and high math self-efficacy were more likely to have a career in STEM. When examining demographic characteristics, female students were more likely to have lower math attitude and lower math self-efficacy, which helps to explain why there is an underrepresentation of female students in STEM fields. We also found that race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status operated differently for each of the English proficiency groups.Conclusions/RecommendationsThis study directly links student math attitudes and self-efficacy to later career choice. This study has implications for researchers and policymakers who are developing interventions, suggesting that fostering positive math attitudes and self-efficacy would help encourage more students to pursue careers in STEM, particularly for non-native English speakers and female students.

SELF-EFFICACY, ACHIEVEMENT GOALS, AND ACHIEVEMENT: ACADEMIC HELP-SEEKING TENDENCIES AS MEDIATORS

This study investigated how students’ academic help-seeking tendencies mediate motivation and subsequent achievement. A large sample of Singapore Secondary 2 students took a survey on math self-efficacy, achievement goals (mastery and performance), and help-seeking tendencies (adaptive, expedient, and avoidant), followed by a math achievement test about 3 months later. We conducted structural equation modeling and found that after controlling for gender and previous math achievement, students’ help-seeking tendencies fully mediated the predictive relationship from math self-efficacy and achievement goals to subsequent math achievement. More specifically, math self-efficacy was associated positively with adaptive help seeking, mastery goals were associated positively with adaptive help seeking and negatively with avoidant help seeking, and performance goals were associated negatively with adaptive help seeking and positively with both expedient and avoidant help seeking. Adaptive help seeking in turn positively and expedient help seeking negatively predicted subsequent math achievement. Through the mediation of help-seeking tendencies, math self-efficacy and mastery goals positively and performance goals negatively predicted subsequent math achievement. The importance of help seeking in learning and implications for classroom teaching are discussed. Keywords: Helpseeking, Self-efficacy, Achievement goals, Achievement

Effects of Integrating Mathematical Concepts into a Nutrition Unit in the Animal Science Curriculum

Achievement test scores in mathematics have been a concern among educators for many years. Teaching contextualized mathematics has been found to be effective and includes providing a direct application to real-life scenarios rather than teaching linear equations and algebraic principles in isolation. This study measured the effects of integrating mathematical skills in one instructional unit in an animal science curriculum. Students from eight schools participated in the research study. Students completed a pretest measuring their existing mathematical skills and self-efficacy in math. All students were taught a unit of instruction about animal nutrition and feeding. The control group received a typical nutrition unit and the treatment group received the same unit of instruction with the addition of mathematical skill integration. Following the unit of instruction, students completed a posttest survey, which included a mathematics attitudinal scale, posttreatment self-efficacy scale, and posttreatment mathematics skills questions. No statistically significant difference was found in mathematics self-efficacy or mathematics skills between the control group and treatment. However, results indicated a strong positive relationship between students’ mathematics self-efficacy and their mathematics skills. Further, highest level of mathematics courses completed and overall grade point average were statistically significant factors in predicting mathematics self-efficacy.

The Role of Personality and Subject-Specific Motivation in Students' Achievement in Math and Mother Tongue

The aim of the study was to examine and to compare the relationships of different personality traits, subject-specific motivational dimensions and students' achievement in math and mother tongue in general upper secondary education, as well as how these variables predict their achievement. A total of 397 students attending the first year of general upper secondary education in Slovenia participated in the study. Different measures were used to assess students' personality traits, subject-specific interest, self-efficacy, volitional strategies and final grades in math and mother tongue. The results of the research showed different patterns of achievement predictors in both subjects and differences in the predictive power of included variables according to subjects. The included variables predicted 18% of variance in the Slovene language and 31% of variance in math. In both subjects, achievement was significantly positively predicted by self-efficacy and interest, and significantly negatively predicted by energy and procrastination. In math, agreeableness was also found as a significant negative predictor, and in Slovene language conscientiousness and immediate action were found as positive predictors of students' achievement. Implications of the study's findings are also discussed.

The role of math self-efficacy in the structural model of extracurricular technology-related activities and junior elementary school students' mathematics ability

With increasingly sophisticated information and communications technologies in the modern era, technology is considered to be an important agent for children's perceptual and cognitive skill development. Yet, research on the effect of technology on students' academic learning is inconclusive because there is a longstanding debate about the impact of internet use and video gameplay on student learning achievement. This study examined the relationships between math self-efficacy, extracurricular technology-related activities (TRAs) and Canadian sixth graders' math achievement. Using large-scale student survey and test performance data (N = 26,767), we examined the latent structural relationship between the TRAs (e.g., video gameplay, internet use and TV viewing) and math achievement by taking into account students' self-efficacy as a mediator. Results from structural equation modeling confirmed our hypotheses indicating the negative direct effects of TRAs on math achievement and a positive mediating effect of math self-efficacy on the relationship between video gameplay and math achievement. We also observed negative indirect effects of TV reviewing and internet use on math achievement via math self-efficacy. This study emphasizes the critical interaction between students' psychological orientations and external digital surroundings on their academic achievement.

The Relation of the Impostor Phenomenon to Future Intentions of Mathematics-Related School and Work

Currently, the number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) jobs are expanding faster than the U.S. labor market; yet many individuals with STEM degrees choose to work in other fields. The present study uses social cognitive career theory as a framework for researching the impact of several variables on future expectations to continue in STEM. We measured math self-efficacy with the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scales and impostorism from the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale. New measures of interest and future intentions were created. One hundred twenty-one undergraduates (47.1% women; median age = 21.00) enrolled in STEM majors completed an online survey. We hypothesized that math self-efficacy and interest would significantly predict future expectations and that impostorism would significantly add to this prediction. This theory was analyzed with a hierarchical multiple regression, and the hypothesis was supported by data from men. In the women’s model, only interest emerged as a significant predictor. Implications are discussed.

Universal Beliefs and Specific Practices: Students’ Math Self-Efficacy and Related Factors in the United States and China

<p class="apa">This study intends to compare and contrast student and school factors that are associated with students’ mathematics self-efficacy in the United States and China. Using hierarchical linear regressions to analyze the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 data, this study compares math self-efficacy, achievement, and variables such as math teacher support and socioeconomic status (SES) between 15-year-old students in the U.S. and in Shanghai, China. The findings suggest that on average, students from Shanghai showed higher math self-efficacy and better achievement than those of American students. However, at the student level, similar positive relationships between math teacher support and math self-efficacy and between SES and math self-efficacy were found in both locations. That is, in the U.S. and Shanghai, an increase in math teacher support predicts an increase in math self-efficacy, also higher SES is significantly associated with higher math self-efficacy. In addition, at the school level, the smaller difference in American students’ math self-efficacy between higher SES school and lower SES school indicates that the U.S. is more equitable between schools than Shanghai, China in terms of students’ math self-efficacy. Implications from this study indicate that improving teacher support in math class and narrowing the gap in students’ self-efficacy related to school-level SES is a significant issue for the U.S. and Shanghai, China respectively.</p>

Teacher and Teaching Effects on Students' Attitudes and Behaviors.

Research has focused predominantly on how teachers affect students' achievement on tests despite evidence that a broad range of attitudes and behaviors are equally important to their long-term success. We find that upper-elementary teachers have large effects on self-reported measures of students' self-efficacy in math, and happiness and behavior in class. Students' attitudes and behaviors are predicted by teaching practices most proximal to these measures, including teachers' emotional support and classroom organization. However, teachers who are effective at improving test scores often are not equally effective at improving students' attitudes and behaviors. These findings lend empirical evidence to well-established theory on the multidimensional nature of teaching and the need to identify strategies for improving the full range of teachers' skills.

Self-efficacy, value, and achievement emotions as mediators between parenting practice and homework behavior: A control-value theory perspective

From the control-value theory perspective, this study investigated the mediational role of students' math self-efficacy, value, and achievement emotions between parenting practices and homework behaviors. A large sample of 2648 Singapore Secondary 2 students first took measures of parental expectancy and involvement, and then measures of math self-efficacy, value, achievement emotions (enjoyment, pride, boredom, and anxiety), and homework behaviors about 3months later. The results of multiple-group structural equation modeling largely supported the hypothesized mediation model across gender groups. Math self-efficacy was associated with math enjoyment and pride positively, and math boredom and anxiety negatively; math value was associated with math enjoyment and anxiety positively, and math boredom negatively. The four emotions in turn showed distinct relations to homework behaviors. Partly through math self-efficacy, value, and achievement emotions, both parental expectancy and involvement predicted homework effort positively and homework distraction negatively. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Understanding Perceptions of the Geosciences Among Minority and Nonminority Undergraduate Students

ABSTRACTThis study augments existing literature in understanding student perceptions about the geosciences; we examined the choice of major and science courses taken by 645 students at a large southeastern research university. Differences were examined between underrepresented minority (URM) and nonminority students. We compared responses regarding not only different sciences but also different subfields of geoscience, and where possible, we compared those subjects with biology. Our results show significant differences in (1) the selection of a college major, (2) the selection of science electives, (3) characteristics of the ideal career, (4) interest and self-efficacy in science and math, and (5) career perceptions of geoscience and other select sciences among URM and nonminority students. We identified three main factors that contributed to student selection of college major, including important influencers, sustained identification with or interest in that major, and descriptors of the major itself. We also found that a student's advisor may be one of the greatest factors in which science classes an undergraduate student takes at a university. Finally, our research showed that the geosciences scored lower than other science subjects with respect to student perceptions in its ability to help the environment, help society, help them find a job, and salary. This was true for each of the geoscience fields measured when compared with every other science, technology, engineering, and math fields measured with the exception of physics.

Mind the Gap: Student Researchers Use Secondary Data to Explore Disparities in STEM Education

Large data sets offer opportunities for graduate students to become involved in meaningful research, but also comes with a unique set of challenges. This paper seeks to examine that relationship through utilizing the High School Longitudinal Study 2009 – representative of US ninth graders in 2009 (n = 21,444) – to examine a set of research questions about STEM interest and preparation amongst secondary students. Student researchers identified gaps in plans and outcomes with regards to race, gender, exceptionalities, and socioeconomic status. Findings indicated inequities that affect STEM outcomes. A significant interaction was found between students education expectations by gender on science self-efficacy [F(4,1264) = 2.797, p =.025]. This interaction was not observed for math self-efficacy. Females and underrepresented minorities were less likely to pursue computer science courses and computer science careers [Females: Χ2 (2, N = 20,594) = 111.500, p < .0001; Minorities: Χ2 (2, N = 13,069) = 6.455, p = .040]. Students’ expectations for post-secondary education differed by IEP status and socioeconomic status [Χ2 (3, n =165,684) = 26.886, p = 0.001]. Finally, time spent in extracurricular activities impacted academic achievement and students in lower socioeconomic groups were less involved in extracurricular activities [Χ2 (4, n = 20,598) = 132.298, p < .0001].

Multidimensionality of parental involvement and children's mathematics achievement in Taiwan: Mediating effect of math self-efficacy

The present study confirmed the multidimensional construct of Taiwanese parental involvement and examined the direct and indirect influences of parental involvement on students' mathematics achievement, that is, the mediating effects of math self-efficacy. Questionnaires were administered to 1286 seventh grade students in Central Taiwan, and structural equation modeling was utilized. The results indicated that the multidimensional model of parental involvement in mathematics contained three components: parental beliefs and expectations, managerial involvement (i.e., parental instruction), and structural involvement (i.e., resources parents provide for children). In addition, results suggested that parental involvement is indirectly associated with students' mathematics achievement through the mediating effects of math self-efficacy, either partially or completely. The conceptual framework and measures can contribute to future work on parenting, including research designed to map multidimensional constructs that describe parental involvement and studies that explore how parental involvement shapes school outcomes of early adolescents in mathematics through their math self-efficacy.

&lt;em&gt;The Influence of Math Self-Efficacy on the College Enrollments of Young Black Women&lt;/em&gt;

&lt;em&gt;The Influence of Math Self-Efficacy on the College Enrollments of Young Black Women&lt;/em&gt;

Parent-child math anxiety and math-gender stereotypes predict adolescents' math education outcomes.

Two studies examined social determinants of adolescents' math anxiety including parents' own math anxiety and children's endorsement of math-gender stereotypes. In Study 1, parent-child dyads were surveyed and the interaction between parent and child math anxiety was examined, with an eye to same- and other-gender dyads. Results indicate that parent's math anxiety interacts with daughters' and sons' anxiety to predict math self-efficacy, GPA, behavioral intentions, math attitudes, and math devaluing. Parents with lower math anxiety showed a positive relationship to children's math outcomes when children also had lower anxiety. The strongest relationships were found with same-gender dyads, particularly Mother-Daughter dyads. Study 2 showed that endorsement of math-gender stereotypes predicts math anxiety (and not vice versa) for performance beliefs and outcomes (self-efficacy and GPA). Further, math anxiety fully mediated the relationship between gender stereotypes and math self-efficacy for girls and boys, and for boys with GPA. These findings address gaps in the literature on the role of parents' math anxiety in the effects of children's math anxiety and math anxiety as a mechanism affecting performance. Results have implications for interventions on parents' math anxiety and dispelling gender stereotypes in math classrooms.

Effects of Motivation, ACT/SAT, GPA, and SES on College Choice for Academically Advanced Students and Other Students

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in the effects of &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;motivation factors on college choice between academically advanced students and other students.&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;College choice ranged from no college, two-year college, four-year college, moderately selective four-year college, and highly selective four-year college. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;Restricted data from the nationally representative Education Longitudinal Study (ELS) of 2002 were used for the analysis. Using the ELS questions, 8 motivation&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt; constructs (general intrinsic motivation, math intrinsic motivation, reading Intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, general academic self-efficacy, math self-efficacy, English self-efficacy, and educational expectation) were developed. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate the direct and indirect effects of the factors on college choice. The results indicated that although ACT/SAT scores, followed by GPA, are the most important factors for both academically advanced students’ and other students’ choices of more selective colleges, their choices are mediated by their intrinsic reading motivation and math self-efficacy. Compared to other students’, academically advanced students’ extrinsic motivation more negatively affected, while &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;S&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;ocio&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt; E&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;conomic &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;S&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;tatus (SES) less negatively affected, their choices of more selective colleges&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;. Other students’ high general academic self-efficacy and educational expectations positively affected their ACT/SAT scores, GPA, and choices of more selective colleges, which did not affect academically advanced students.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Effects of Motivation, ACT/SAT, GPA, and SES on College Choice for Academically Advanced Students and Other Students

&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in the effects of &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;motivation factors on college choice between academically advanced students and other students.&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;College choice ranged from no college, two-year college, four-year college, moderately selective four-year college, and highly selective four-year college. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;Restricted data from the nationally representative Education Longitudinal Study (ELS) of 2002 were used for the analysis. Using the ELS questions, 8 motivation&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt; constructs (general intrinsic motivation, math intrinsic motivation, reading Intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, general academic self-efficacy, math self-efficacy, English self-efficacy, and educational expectation) were developed. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate the direct and indirect effects of the factors on college choice. The results indicated that although ACT/SAT scores, followed by GPA, are the most important factors for both academically advanced students’ and other students’ choices of more selective colleges, their choices are mediated by their intrinsic reading motivation and math self-efficacy. Compared to other students’, academically advanced students’ extrinsic motivation more negatively affected, while &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;S&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;ocio&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt; E&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;conomic &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;S&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;tatus (SES) less negatively affected, their choices of more selective colleges&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;. Other students’ high general academic self-efficacy and educational expectations positively affected their ACT/SAT scores, GPA, and choices of more selective colleges, which did not affect academically advanced students.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Virtues of a Hardworking Role Model to Improve Girls’ Mathematics Performance

Previous research has shown that female role models can improve women’s math performance, whereas male role models can lower it. In this field experiment, we examined the following research questions: (a) Does the explanation a role model gives for the role model’s success in math help girls perform as well as boys in math, regardless of the role model’s gender? And (b) what are the underlying mechanisms of the role models’ influence? Sixth graders were exposed to the description of a female or male role model before a difficult math test; they were informed about the reason for the role model’s math success (exerted effort vs. being gifted vs. no explanation). The results indicated that girls scored as well as boys on a difficult math test after exposure to a hardworking role model. They performed less well than boys after exposure to a role model whose success was not explained or was explained by the role model’s gift. Moreover, serial mediation analyses showed that both boys and girls identified more with the hardworking role model than with the other two role models, which increased the boys’ and girls’ perceived self-efficacy in math and in turn increased math performance. We discuss the contributions of this study to identifying relevant role models for girls in math.