10.03.2015

What girls think about math

Study explains gender differences in motivation

Girls see the benefit of mathematics only for school itself, but not for their further life. This is the result of a recent study by the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology and the LEAD Graduate School, which has now been published in the Journal of Educational Psychology. The study provides clues as to why men are much more strongly represented in mathematically-oriented occupations than women and also how to motivate girls in mathematics.

Several newspapers such as the Südwest Presse, the Schwäbische Tagblatt and the Reutlinger General-Anzeiger report about the study. Also, the news agency dpa includes the study in their news about the current OECD education report.

Original publicaton:

Gaspard, H., Dicke, A.-L., Flunger, B., Schreier, B., Häfner, I., Trautwein, U. & Nagengast, B. (2014). More value through greater differentiation: Gender differences in value beliefs about math. Journal of Educational Psychology, Advance online publication. doi: 10.1037/edu0000003