Running head: MATH STEREOTYPES
Math Stereotypes: Their Impact on Gender Performance on a Math Test
Charlesa L. Verdell
Valdosta State University
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine how math stereotypes impact how well male and
female participants perform on a math test. Participants’ consisted of 40 males and 40 females
who were given a passage to read on math, that either mentioned the gender stereotype of math
being a male subject or math and its involvement with writing, science, and sports. The
participants were then, asked to take a five question math test and rate their level of agreement
with the passage as well as how they believed they performed on the test. The results in the
present study did not support the hypothesis and showed that in the presence of the math
stereotype female participants scored lower then male participants.
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Math Stereotypes: Their Impact on Gender Performance on a Math Test
Throughout the years of American cultural there is been the stereotype of math being
more of a male subject then a subject for females. Studies shown that these stereotypes take root
in our children as early as the second grade (Cvencek, Meltzoff, & Greenwald, 2011); this
research has lead other researchers to study this stereotype and its effect throughout the years.
Previous research on the math stereotype and its impacts on females for example Tomasetto,
Alperton, and Cadinu (2011) have shown that the stereotype does impact the female’s performance in the
subject of math. In their study they provided participants with an age appropriate math test and issued a
stereotype awareness task. The results not only showed that girls were aware of the stereotype and that
awareness impacted their math ablilty, but it also show cased that mother’s endorsed the stereotype more
than fathers by the parenting questions on the stereotype task.
Another study done on college students issued a challenging math test to both male and female
students either showcasing the math threat or no threat at all (Lesko, and Corpus, 2006). Their study
showed as previous studies did that in the presence of the math stereotype female participants
scored lower than their male counterparts, but when there was no threat present they actually
scored higher than the male participants.
Studies have continued to showcase the trend of female participants underscoring at math
test in relation to male participants when in the presence of the math stereotype of math being
more of a male subject. The purpose of the present study was to showcase that times have
changed and that when facing the math stereotype female participants would excel on the math
test and would be motivated to go against the stereotype. Participants would either have the
stereotype present or not and take a quick math test.
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Method
Research Design
This experiment used a 2 x 2 between-subjects factorial design with the independent
variables being the sex of the participants (male or female) and the influence of math gender
stereotypes (absence of or presence of). The participants’ performance on the basic math test
and their motivation level based on the questionnaire were the dependent variables.
Participants
The participants consisted of 30 male and 30 female undergraduate students haphazardly
selected from Valdosta, Georgia. Participation was on a volunteer basis and there was no
compensation. The student classification of the sample was 10% freshman, 35% sophomore,
25% junior, and 30% senior. The ethnic background of the sample consisted of 34% Caucasian,
40% African-American, 5% Pacific Islander, 20% Asian and 5% Other. Male participants were
randomly assigned to read an article that was male oriented and gender bias (n = 20) or had no
gender implications (n = 20). Female participants were randomly assigned to an article that was
male oriented and gender bias (n = 20) or had no gender implications (n = 20).
Materials
Participants will be given a packet that contained a short passage on math, a math test and
a small questionnaire about the passage. The passage either mentioned math stereotypes and
how males identify better with math or only talked about as a subject with no gender
implications. While the math test consisted of five questions that focused on multiplication,
division, and more, for example one question was solve for y: 4y-2= 33-3y. The questionnaire
consisted of four statements that the participants rated they either agreed or disagreed with to
assess their motivation based on the passage an example statement was “I agree with the
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information in the passage. The passage was very informative.” They were also asked to fill out
demographic information such as their race, and age.
Procedure
The study was completed individually. I approached a student and asked if he or she
would like to participant in a research study about mathematics by taking five to ten minutes of
their time to read a passage and take a quick test and questionnaire. If a student agreed they were
given a packet that contained a short passage, a math test, a questionnaire, and asked to follow
the instructions given. If the student refused, then he or she was thanked for their time and not
bothered any further.
Each participant was asked to read the passage then to answer the five math questions
that followed. Participants were instructed not to use a calculator of any sort and that there was
space on the paper for them to work out the problems if needed. Following completion of the
test participants were then asked to answer the questionnaire on the last page. Even though
participants were advised that this would take five to ten minutes of their time they were not
given a time limit. Once the participants completed the packet and turned it in, they were told
the true purpose of the experiment and were given a chance to ask any questions that they may
have about the study. They also were thanked for their time.
Results
Math Test Scores
A 2 (sex of participant) x 2 (presence or lack of stereotype) analysis of variance
(ANOVA) was calculated on participants performance on a math test. There was a significant
main effect for participants sex, F(1, 76) = 8.94, p = .004. Male participants who read the
passage that contained the stereotype scored higher (M = 92.00, SD = 10.05) than the female
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participants who also read the passage with the stereotype threat (M = 72.00, SD = 16.41). While
male participants who did not have the threat (M = 88.00, SD = 10.05) scored lower than their
female counterparts (M = 92.00, SD= 10.05). There was also a significant main effect due to the
presence or lack of the stereotype threat F(1, 76) = 8.94, p = .004. The participants’ performance
on the test depends on the presence of the stereotype threat.
Agreement with the passage
A 2 x 2 ANOVA was calculated on participants’ motivation to do well on the test based
on their agreement with the passage. There were no significant main effects for agreement with
the passage, F(1, 76) = 1.31, p = .256 or the participants’ sex, F(1, 76) = 1.31, p = .256.
Discussion
The results from the present study did not support the hypothesis that when faced with
the stereotype threat, female participants would be highly motivated and would perform higher
on the math test then the male participants. In general female participants exposed to the threat
did poorer than females who were not expressed. By facing the threat female participants had no
real desire to do well on the math test with an average of 72% on the grading scale. While male
participants exposed to the threat performed higher than females exposed to the threat but lower
then females who weren’t. The presence of the stereotype enhanced their desire to perform well
with an average of 96% on the grading scale. The present results are consistent with a body of
research showing that males performed better on a math test under the presence of a stereotype
threat, while the female participants did poorly when faced with threat (Johnson, Barnard-Brak,
Saxon, and M. Johnson, 2012).
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References
University of Washington (2011, March 14). Gender stereotypes about math develop as early as
second grade. ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com- /releases/2011/03/110314091642.htm
Dario Cvencek, Andrew N. Meltzoff, Anthony G. Greenwald. Math-Gender Stereotypes in
Elementary School Children. Child Development, 2011;
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Table 1
Participants Mean of Test Score on the Presence of Stereotypes and Participant Sex
Math Stereotype
Participant Sex
Threat or No Threat
Male
n
20
20
M
92
88
SD
10
10
n
20
20
M
72
92
SD
16.4
10
Female
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