Abstract:
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.
