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Implicit math-gender stereotype present in adults but not in 8th grade
Kyle Morrissey1, Darcy Hallett1, Aishah Bakhtiar1
1Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Journal of Adolescence
|June 24, 2019
Summary
Adolescents show mixed math-gender stereotypes, unlike adults. Implicit stereotype measures did not predict academic performance in either group, questioning their utility for young students.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Educational Psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Traditional math-gender stereotypes favor boys/men in math and girls/women in language arts.
- Previous research on implicit math-gender stereotypes primarily involved adults, limiting causal inference for STEM participation.
- Adolescence is a critical period for academic and career decisions, making it essential to study stereotypes in this age group.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate implicit and explicit math-gender stereotypes among adolescents.
- To compare adolescent stereotypes with those of adults.
- To assess the predictive validity of implicit math-gender stereotype measures for academic variables in adolescents and adults.
Main Methods:
- 196 eighth-grade students and 80 adults completed implicit and explicit measures of math-gender stereotype attitudes.
- Participants also underwent assessments of math self-concept, verbal self-concept, and mathematical performance.
- Statistical analyses examined group differences and the correlation between implicit/explicit measures and performance.
Main Results:
- Adolescents reported egalitarian or in-group favoritism attitudes towards math and language subjects.
- Adults exhibited more traditional math-gender stereotypes and showed correlations between implicit and explicit measures.
- Implicit math-gender stereotype measures did not reliably predict math or verbal self-concept or performance in either adolescents or adults.
Conclusions:
- Adolescent math-gender stereotypes differ from those of adults, with less consistent patterns observed.
- Implicit measures of math-gender stereotypes may have limited utility for understanding or predicting academic outcomes in adolescents.
- Further research is needed to understand the developmental trajectory of math-gender stereotypes and their impact on STEM engagement.
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