Gender Differences in Children’s Math Self-Concept in the First Years of Elementary School


  •  Sven Lindberg    
  •  Janosch Linkersdörfer    
  •  Jan-Henning Ehm    
  •  Marcus Hasselhorn    
  •  Jan Lonnemann    

Abstract

In the course of elementary school children start to develop an academic self-concept reflecting their motivation,
thoughts, and feelings about a specific domain. For the domain of mathematics, gender differences can emerge
which are characterized by a less pronounced math self-concept for girls. However, studies are rather sparse
regarding the early years of elementary school education, hence, the point in time when such gender differences
emerge yet remains a matter of debate. In our study, we found that the math self-concept of elementary school
children (n = 81) declined from first to second grade. While no differences in math achievement were observed
between girls and boys, it became apparent that girls’ math self-concept was already less pronounced than the
math self-concept of boys in the first years of elementary school. Our findings emphasize the importance of
considering such gender differences even at the beginning of school education.


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
  • ISSN(Print): 1927-5250
  • ISSN(Online): 1927-5269
  • Started: 2012
  • Frequency: bimonthly

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