Intellectual Merit-The objective of the project is to offer a comprehensive model of the psychological, institutional, and societal barriers that undermine girls? and minorities? interest and performance in math. The project uses the theory of planned behavior to examine the interactive effects of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control to predict interests and behavioral intentions of participating in math fields. In addition, the project examines an understudied effect among adolescents, namely the role of stereotype threat in affecting attitudes toward and performance in math. The project proposes that stereotype threat should be examined as a mediating factor impeding girls? and minorities? performance and interest in math.
The main hypotheses are that a modified theory of planned behavior will account for gender differences in math performance and behavioral intentions regarding math participation. Specifically, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control will predict behavioral intentions, but will be mediated by experiences with math-based stereotype threat. In addition, the effect of stereotype threat on performance will be moderated by personality traits such as dispositional tendencies toward gender-based threat. Students experiencing stereotype threat will have lower behavioral intentions and performance than students not experiencing stereotype threat. Greater experience of stereotype threat will lead to disengagement and avoidance of math, which will lead to lower behavioral intentions for math related activities.
A mixed methods approach is taken to examine multi-level variables influencing behavioral intentions. The targeted population is 600 middle school students (6th, 7th, and 8th grades) in a diverse school district in Los Angeles County, Azusa Unified School District. The project has three phases consisting of questionnaires and in-depth interviews with math teachers, counselors, students, and parents and an experimental induction of stereotype threat in math classes.
Broader Impacts-The project integrates teaching, learning, and research by directly involving students in all phases of the project. Educational infrastructure is enhanced by providing research opportunities and training to undergraduate students in psychology and sociology research. The existing networks between the university and local community and education system are further strengthened. The outcomes of the project are more in-depth knowledge of multi-level barriers and how they interact to affect math participation and performance among girls, ethnic minorities, and students with lower socioeconomic status. An executive summary of the findings will be distributed to participating schools? principals, counselors, teachers, and parents. In addition, top level district administrators will be briefed on the findings in a report and presentation. In the reports and summaries, the investigators make recommendations for educational practices and interventions based on the outcomes of the study. The results will be presented at national and regional conferences as well as at campus events for K-12 teacher-training, thus educating future researchers and teachers about the barriers to girls? and minorities? STEM participation. Finally, the results will be published in leading social science journals so that other researchers can adopt the successful aspects of the methodology and theoretical framework of the project.
