Developmental Emergence of math-Gender Stereotypes and Math Self-Concepts

妇女在STEM学科中的代表性不足是一个具有经济影响的社会问题。尽管在过去二十年里，男孩和女孩在数学成绩上的差距有所缩小，但性别差异仍然影响着学生进入数学相关职业的决定。青少年学生的数学自我概念对未来数学相关领域的选择具有预测作用。早在小学，在数学成绩没有性别差异的情况下，女孩的数学自我概念就比男孩低。发展科学家研究了与妇女在STEM中代表性不足有关的因素，区分了两个相互关联的结构。第一个是孩子对数学和性别之间联系的信念（即，关于社会群体和“谁做数学”的信念），这可以被称为数学性别刻板印象。第二个是孩子们如何强烈地将自己与数学联系起来（即，一个孩子是否“认同数学”），这可以被称为数学自我概念。该提案由EHR核心研究计划资助，该计划支持STEM学习和学习环境的基础研究，扩大STEM的参与和STEM劳动力发展。本研究将探讨数学性别刻板印象（实验1）、数学自我概念（实验2）的发展，以及它们对数学动机和职业兴趣的影响（实验3）。在实验1中，研究人员将采用横断面方法，研究美国普遍存在的刻板印象，即数学在小学是“男性”的发展出现。在实验2中，重点将是如何强烈的男孩和女孩自己与数学（数学自我概念）和可能的性别差异，在这一发展途径的出现。在实验3中，项目团队将使用细粒度纵向方法验证发展顺序，并追踪小学男生和女生对数学的动机以及他们未来对STEM的职业兴趣的后果。综上所述，实验1至3将加深对幼儿数学刻板印象和自我概念何时以及如何出现的理解，并直接影响旨在减少数学刻板印象和加强数学自我概念的新颖干预措施的设计。

The underrepresentation of women in STEM disciplines is a societal problem with economic implications. Despite the narrowing of the gap in math performance between boys and girls in the past two decades, gender disparities still influence students' decisions to enter math-related careers. Young students' math self-concepts have been found to predict future choices in math-related domains. As early as elementary school--and in the absence of gender differences in math achievement--girls have lower math self-concepts than boys. Developmental scientists examining the factors implicated in women's underrepresentation in STEM distinguish two interrelated constructs. The first is the child's belief about the link between math and gender (i.e., a belief about a social group and "who does math"), which can be called a math-gender stereotype. The second is how strongly children link themselves to math (i.e., whether a child "identifies with math"), which can be called a math self-concept. This proposal is funded by the EHR Core Research program, which supports fundamental research in STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development. This project will examine the development of math-gender stereotypes (Experiment 1), math self-concepts (Experiment 2), and their consequences for math motivation and career interest (Experiment 3). In experiment 1, using a cross-sectional approach, the researchers will examine the developmental emergence of the pervasive U.S. stereotype that math is "for males" in elementary school. In Experiment 2, focus will be on the emergence of how strongly boys and girls associate themselves with math (math self-concept) and possible gender differences in this developmental pathway. In Experiment 3, the project team will verify the developmental order using a fine-grained longitudinal approach, and trace the consequences for elementary school boys' and girls' motivation for math and their future career interest in STEM. Taken together, Experiments 1 through 3 will deepen understanding about when and how math stereotypes and self-concepts emerge in young children, with direct implications for the design of novel interventions aimed at reducing math stereotyping and strengthening math self-concepts.