Women and Math Performance: the Effects of Stereotype Threat, Math Identity, and Gender Identity
Year: 2010
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Stereotype threat is a phenomenon that emerges when a negative task-relevant stereotype is activated; subsequently, participants may show poorer performance regardless of actual ability. One such stereotype dictates that men are better than women at math. Previous studies (e.g., Lesko & Corpus, 2006; Martens, Johns, Greenberg, & Schimel, 2006; Spencer, Steele, & Quinn, 1999; Quinn & Spencer, 2001) have shown that women underperform on math tests when exposed to such a stereotype threat, but can perform comparably to men, on average, when stereotype threat is nullified. Other work (Thoman, White, Yamawaki, & Koishi, 2008) has revealed differential effects of threat type (innate ability vs. effortll control of performance outcomes), as well as differences in attributions for poor performance, with women being more likely to ascribe poor performance to ability than men (Kiefer & Shih, 2006). The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of stereotype threat, gender identity, and math identity on math performance. Female participants completed a math test after being exposed to a stereotype condition (no stereotype threat/control, effort stereotype threat, and innate ability stereotype threat). In addition, strength of math identity and gender identity were assessed using questionnaires. Although participants did not differ in number of math problems answered or percentage correct among stereotype conditions, on average, gender identity and math identity influence math performance differently among conditions.
Author: Felicia W. Chu
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1516507863