1. Working Toward Gender
Equity in Math
1. How affective variables
play a role in gender
equity in math for girls
2. Are single gender math
classes the answer?

2. The Data Women make up half of
the U.S. workforce but
Girls perform lower than represent only 24% of
boys on standardized test STEM related careers.
(American Association of University
measures; however, girls Women, 2010)
earn higher grades in all
subjects. (Streitmatter, 1997
NAEP reports that male
students perform better on
On the 2001 SAT, males assessments than female
scored 42 points higher students in grades 8 and 12
(McGraw et al., 2006).
than female students in
which math scores
accounted for most of the
difference (Groves, 2001).

3. Affective Variables
• Affective variables are
feelings, attitudes and
perceptions.
• Attitudes and perceptions are
crucial to studying math
education for girls because they
are major influences on what
math courses a girl chooses
when given the option to
continue math or not.
(Fennema, 1979)

4. Confidence
• There is evidence that math
anxiety is slightly higher in
women than in men.
(Ashcraft, 2002)
• This anxiety results in lower
mathematical performance
in girls. Higher math anxiety
and lower self-confidence
does not reflect lower math
abilities. (Fennema, 1979)

5. Stereotype Threat
Barbie says, “Math class is tough.”
• When women believe that math ability is a
fixed amount rather than flexible, they are
more likely to believe the stereotype that
males are better at math. (The American Association of University
Women, 2010)

6. Stereotype Threat
A study on stereotype threat in
a testing environment:
As the number of males in a
classroom environment increased,
math performance for females
decreased. (Inzlicht & Ben-Zeev, 2000).
The authors attribute this to
an “intellectually threatening
environment”.

7. Stereotype Threat
A study (Johns, Schmader, & Martens, 2005) offered
solutions to eliminating the negative effects
of the stereotype threat:
Testing in same
Exposure to gender
positive role environments
models
Communicating that
intelligence is a
malleable trait.

8. Are single gender classrooms the
solution?
Benefits to single sex classes in a co-ed
public school environment:
Girls gain the socialization experiences of
a co-ed school while also having the
opportunity to excel in math and science
in a non-stereotyping classroom setting.
(Keating & Shapka, 2003, p. 953)

9. Research For Single
Gender Math
Classes
In a two-year experimental
single gender math course
in middle school, the Girls perceived themselves
reported “increased their as just as attentive in a
confidence in their co-ed math class but
mathematics ability and participated less and had
their willingness to ask less interaction with the
questions during class.”
(Streitmatter, 1997) teacher. (Rennie & Parker, 1997)

10. Research Against Single Gender
Math Classes
• Teachers tend to
interact more with
boys than girls in both
praise and critical
feedback. (Fennema, 1979)
• Single gender schools
can cause inferior
education for girls.
(Fennema, 1979)

11. More Research is Needed
How can teachers improve a
girl’s perceptions, confidence
and anxiety that contribute
to the success in
mathematics?
Research on teacher practices and
interactions within a co-ed math
class may shed more light on what
can be done to increase
confidence and perceptions of
female students while in the
presence of male students