Attitudes About Mathematics: Compare and Contrast Boys and Girls From High and Low Socio-Economic Status

ABSTRACT ATTITUDES ABOUT MATHEMATICS: COMPARE AND CONTRAST BOYS AND GIRLS FROM HIGH AND LOW SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS by © Kristin Jazdzewski 2011 Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies: Mathematics Education California State University, Chico Fall 2011 This study compared the attitudes about math for boys and girls in grades 3 through 8 from high and low SES. The attitudes studied were confidence in learning mathematics, perceived usefulness of mathematics, perception of teacher attitudes towards the student as a learner of mathematics, and stereotype of mathematics as a male domain. The students were given the Modified Fennema-Sherman Attitude Scales to measure attitudes. In the survey there were 12 statements for each attitude: 6 stated positively and 6 stated negatively. There were a total of 533 students surveyed. The students surveyed reside in Santa Cruz County, California. There were 282 females and 251 males. Of the 533 students, 278 were considered low SES and 255 were considered high SES. The only attitude that was found statistically significant was stereotype of mathematics as a male domain. For this attitude, it was found that gender and SES did play a role. Girls were much less likely to stereotype math as a male domain than boys at all grade levels. High SES students were less likely to stereotype math as a male domain than low SES students at all grade levels, with the exception of grade 8. Gender and SES do not seem to play a role in the other attitudes about mathematics.