Journal Article

Math-Gender Stereotypes in Elementary School Children

Meltzoff, Andrew N., Greenwald, Anthony G., Cvencek, Dario

2011

Overview

A total of 247 American children between 6 and 10 years of age (126 girls and 121 boys) completed Implicit Association Tests and explicit self-report measures assessing the association of (a) me with male (gender identity), (b) male with math (math-gender stereotype), and (c) me with math (math self-concept). Two findings emerged. First, as early as second grade, the children demonstrated the American cultural stereotype that math is for boys on both implicit and explicit measures. Second, elementary school boys identified with math more strongly than did girls on both implicit and self-report measures. The findings suggest that the math-gender stereotype is acquired early and influences emerging math self-concepts prior to ages at which there are actual differences in math achievement.

• Publisher: Blackwell Publishing Ltd,Wiley-Blackwell
• Subject: Academic achievement / Age Factors / Association / Biological and medical sciences / Boys / Child / Child development / Children / Correlation / Developmental psychology / Early second language learning / Elementary school mathematics / Elementary School Students / Elementary schools / EMPIRICAL ARTICLES / Empirical research / Female / Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology / Gender differentiation / Gender Identity / Gender stereotypes / Girls / Humans / Identity / Male / Males / Mathematics / Mathematics Achievement / Mathematics education / Mathematics Skills / Measures (Individuals) / Men / Primary education / Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry / Psychology. Psychophysiology / Self Concept / Self esteem / Self evaluation / Self report / Selfconcept / Selfreport / Sex linked differences / Sex Stereotypes / Social psychology / Socialization / Stereotypes / Stereotyping / Student Attitudes / Tests / U.S.A