Project Activities
Researchers will conduct three studies to investigate the development and consequences of gender stereotypes about the roles of effort and talent in mathematics success. They will complete a descriptive cross-sectional study that will inform the developmental trajectory of gender stereotypes, and two experimental studies to investigate possible causal connections between these gender stereotypes and mathematics achievement.
Structured Abstract
Setting
This study will take place in New York City public schools.
Sample
Researchers will recruit 1,296 schoolchildren in grades 1 to 4. The sample will be collected from schools with racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse student populations.
Factors
The current research will explore whether effort and talent stereotypes about mathematics learning and achievement are malleable factors.
Research design and methods
In Study1, researcherswill use a cross-sectional sample of children in grades 1 to 4 to examine the developmental trajectory of the stereotypic belief that girls' math achievement is due to effort and boys' due to natural talent. This study will also characterize the relations between these stereotypes and key math outcomes (motivation, attitudes, and achievement). In Study 2, researcherswill use an experimental design to investigate whether exposure to effort vs. talent stereotypes causally affectschildren's motivation and attitudes. Finally, the goal of Study 3, which also uses an experimental design, is to identify means of mitigating the negative effects of effort-vs.-talent stereotypes on children's math motivation and attitudes by normalizing effort as necessary for success in mathematics.
Control condition
Due to the nature of the research design in Study 1, there is no control condition. In Study 2, there is no control condition. Instead, students will be randomly assigned to receive exposure to either effort or talent stereotypes about a novel learning task they are about to complete. In Study 3, participants in the control condition will not receive any messages about the role of effort or talent in success.
Key measures
In Study 1, researchers will administer a novel measure designed to assess children's effort vs. talent stereotypes. They will then examine the relations between this measure and outcomes relevant to math learning: math self-efficacy, interest, anxiety, problem-solving preferences, and achievement (measured via a standardized test). For Studies 2 and 3, researchers will adapt these outcome measures to apply to novel learning scenarios and will administer them to students following the experimental manipulation.
Data analytic strategy
Researchers will analyze these data with multilevel mixed-effects linear regressions that take into account the nested structure of the data (e.g., children nested in classrooms).
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
Products: Researchers will develop a theoretically plausible and practically significant framework from which to design educational tools that enhance math learning and engagement. They will share the findings from this research via conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications.
Supplemental information
Co-Principal Investigators: Cimpian, Joseph; Lubienski, Sarah; Cheryan, Sapna
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.