Publication Date
10-2-2024
Abstract
Females and mathematics are often not grouped together due to the gender bias surrounding the two. Perhaps attending an all-girls high school has instilled a higher level of confidence in my own mathematical abilities than many women exhibit. The focus of my research is to examine preservice elementary teachers for their confidence levels in mathematics, as well as whether they hold a form of unconscious gender bias. I completed this research by developing a six-question survey instrument. The survey was administered in the spring and fall of 2023 to Math 245 and Math 246 classes, both of which are required math courses for elementary education students. These classes cover methods for teaching elementary level mathematics. Because education is a major populated predominantly by females, the highest percentage of participants in the survey identified as a woman. The survey results indicated a higher level of math confidence than predicted, which provided hope that not all females are being pushed out of math. While these participants had a higher confidence level, they still held a level of gender bias. When picking a working partner for a graded problem, the majority of participants chose partners based upon math confidence scores. However, when the problem is ungraded, the highest chosen characteristic in a working partner is gender. This research has helped to highlight the importance of both mathematical confidence and gender when selecting a working partner in math class. It has also indicated that gender bias is present in many differing forms, which is a key point in understanding how to combat it in the classroom.
Recommended Citation
Barnett, Paige
(2024)
"Pre-Service Teachers’ Attitudes About Gender, Education, and Mathematical Aptitude: A Quantitative Study,"
Venture: The University of Mississippi Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 6, Article 3.
Available at:
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/umurjournal/vol6/iss1/3
