When girls compare themselves to boys: activation of gender stereotype and achievement in mathematics in Czech schools
Abstract
Goals. Phenomenon of stereotype threat is considered to be one of the causes of gender differences in mathematics.
It occurs in achievement situations, in which the girls are aware of lower expectations of surroundings related to them. The paper presents the results of an experimental study of gender stereotype threat in mathematics.
The goal of the study was to verify if this phenomenon exists also in Czech female pupils. Sample and procedure.
The research sample consisted of male and female pupils of the eighth grade of basic schools and corresponding grades of multi-year grammar schools who were divided into the experimental and control groups. In the first phase, the measure of identification with mathematics and the measure of gender stereotypicity were assessed.
Some weeks later, the mathematical test was assigned to pupils, which introduction included an experimental manipulation aiming to activate the gender stereotype in girls. Hypotheses.
The authors expected that the activation of gender stereotype will lead to lower achievement in mathematical test in girls. Statistical analyses.
Data were analyzed by means of series of four hierarchic regressions, in which the common predictors were the note in mathematics in the first step, the group in the second step, and factors of further followed variables were added into particular models in the third step. Results.
The results of the study confirmed the existence of phenomenon of stereotype threat in Czech female pupils: the activation of the gender stereotype led to lowering of the achievement in the mathematical test in girls, the similar effect did not occur in boys. Limits.
The potential limit of the study can be the high heterogeneity of the sample, given by different types of school educational programs and used textbooks.