Students' Perceptions of Single‐Gender Science and Mathematics Classroom Experiences

While participating in single‐ and mixed‐gender science and mathematics classes, ninth‐grade urban high school students' (n= 118) academic self‐concept, self‐efficacy, and school climate perceptions were examined. Their perceptions were measured quantitatively from the Fennema‐Sherman Mathematics (modified for Science) Attitude and the Patterns of Adaptive Learning scales. Five factors arose from each instrument: confidence/efficacy, utility, instruction, climate, and anxiety/performance avoidance. Comparative factor analysis of the science‐modified Fennema‐Sherman Scale showed similar constructs within the mathematics scale. Our findings are congruent with reports concerning single‐gender classrooms that find few significant differences in students' attitudes toward science and mathematics, or classroom climate, with regard to single‐gender classes. Lastly, our results supported three structural equation models for the hypothesized factors from each instrument.     

Prospective Elementary Teachers' Perceptions of Gender Differences in Children's Attitudes Toward Mathematics

Prospective elementary teachers hold preconceived ideas about elementary school students' attitudes toward mathematics. We found that there exists a gender bias with prospective teachers expecting girls to have negative attitudes toward mathematics and boys more likely to have positive attitudes toward mathematics. We found that these expectations exist for both prospective teachers in a traditional undergraduate degree program and prospective teachers in an alternative licensure graduate degree program. We also found that these expectations do change with the completion of a mathematics methods course and classroom experiences.     

Mathematics Majors' Perceptions of Conviction,Validity, and Proof

In this paper, 28 mathematics majors who completed a transition-to-proof course were given 10 mathematical arguments. For each argument, they were asked to judge how convincing they found the argument and whether they thought the argument constituted a mathematical proof. The key findings from this data were (a) most participants did not find the empirical argument in the study to be convincing or to meet the standards of proof, (b) the majority of participants found a diagrammatic argument to be both convincing and a proof, (c) participants evaluated deductive arguments not by their form but by their content, but (d) participants often judged invalid deductive arguments to be convincing proofs because they did not recognize their logical flaws. These findings suggest improving undergraduates' comprehension of mathematical arguments does not depend on making undergraduates aware of the limitations of empirical arguments but instead on improving the ways in which they process the arguments that they read.     

New Perspectives on the Gender Stereotyping of Mathematics

Historically, mathematics has been stereotyped as a male domain, and there is considerable evidence to support this belief. In the last 30 years, mathematics education researchers have uncovered a range of factors contributing to the documented achievement and participation differences that favored males and sought to redress them. Mathematics as a male domain, one of the subscales of the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scales (1976), has been used widely to assess the extent to which mathematics is stereotyped as a masculine sphere. It has been argued that some of the items comprising the subscale are anachronistic and that the subscale scores can no longer be interpreted reliably. In this article we outline the development of two new instruments-the mathematics as a gendered domain instrument and the who and mathematics instrument-that have been designed to overcome the limitations of the original Fennema-Sherman mathematics as a male domain subscale. We also present findings from the administration of the two instruments in Australia, where they were developed, and in the United States, the site of the trials of the original Fennema-Sherman scales. The results indicate that females feel more strongly than males about some aspects of gender stereotyping in mathematics although, in general, most students feel that mathematics is gender neutral.     

New Perspectives on the Gender Stereotyping of Mathematics

Historically, mathematics has been stereotyped as a male domain, and there is considerable evidence to support this belief. In the last 30 years, mathematics education researchers have uncovered a range of factors contributing to the documented achievement and participation differences that favored males and sought to redress them. Mathematics as a male domain, one of the subscales of the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitude Scales (1976), has been used widely to assess the extent to which mathematics is stereotyped as a masculine sphere. It has been argued that some of the items comprising the subscale are anachronistic and that the subscale scores can no longer be interpreted reliably. In this article we outline the development of two new instruments-the mathematics as a gendered domain instrument and the who and mathematics instrument-that have been designed to overcome the limitations of the original Fennema-Sherman mathematics as a male domain subscale. We also present findings from the administration of the two instruments in Australia, where they were developed, and in the United States, the site of the trials of the original Fennema-Sherman scales. The results indicate that females feel more strongly than males about some aspects of gender stereotyping in mathematics although, in general, most students feel that mathematics is gender neutral.     

Gender Differences in Mathematics Attitudes of Secondary Students

The merger of an all-female Catholic secondary school with a similar all-male school provided the setting for this two-part study. Gender differences in mathematics attitudes of secondary students, and differences in mathematics attitudes of the female students before and after the merger were investigated. Traditional male/female differences were found in the areas of self-confidence, usefulness of mathematics, and classroom behavior. The female students' attitudes remained positive, but their predictions about the mixed-sex classroom were confirmed.     

Integrating Science and Mathematics: Perceptions of Preservice and Practicing Elementary Teachers

One hundred and sixty-one undergraduate elementary education majors and sixty elementary teachers completed an eight-item questionnaire designed to assess their perceptions toward integrating science and mathematics in the elementary grades. The two groups of subjects differed significantly on their responses to five of the eight items. Chi square analyses suggest that practicing elementary teachers felt they had more background in mathematics and science, were more aware of curriculum materials in this area, did not think that integration was currently a common practice, and were more likely to indicate that there was not sufficient time in the school day to integrate the subjects. Preservice teachers were more likely to indicate that integrating the disciplines was preferred to teaching them separately. In addition to the analyses of data, a list of recommendations are provided for teachers, curriculum developers, and policy makers interested in advancing the concept of integrating science and mathematics in instruction.     

Student Perceptions of a Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics Camp Experience

“As the world becomes increasingly technological, the value of (the ideas and skills of its population) will be determined in no small measure by the effectiveness of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the United States” and “STEM education will determine whether the United States will remain a leader among nations and whether we will be able to solve immense challenges in such areas as energy, health, environmental protection, and national security” (President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, 2010, p. vii). Research on the effectiveness of STEM‐focused school and other learning experiences (e.g., short‐term camps) on student attitudes and performance outcomes is sparse. In this study, we documented the influence of an intensive STEM summer program on high school students’ attitudes toward STEM concepts and interests in STEM careers. Attending the summer program was associated with gains on students’ attitudes toward some aspects of STEM as well as specific career interests. Notably, students reported statistically significant views of important aspects of STEM and their attitudes toward science and mathematics were more positive than their attitudes about engineering and technology.     

Gender and Mathematics: recent development from a Swedish perspective

A fairly large study of attitudes towards mathematics among Swedish students at secondary level was conducted during 2001–2004. A newly developed instrument was used that was designed to capture gender stereotyped attitudes among students related to various aspects of mathematics in education and future life. The new scale and its development are described with reference to the original Australian studies. The scale builds on the Fennema–Sherman attitude scale “Mathematics as a male domain” but allows mathematics to be viewed as female, male or gender neutral, reflecting a different societal and educational situation than in the seventies when attitudes towards mathematics as a male domain were first investigated. The Swedish study shows that mathematics is perceived as gendered, mostly as a male domain, by large minorities of students at secondary level. However, the results are complex, with clear differences in responses from female and male students. Furthermore, mathematics is also viewed as female in some aspects. A comparison with Australian data shows that Swedish students are less inclined to view mathematics as a female domain than Australian students of the same age. The relevance of the study is related to the lack of equity in mathematics in education and as a professional field in the Swedish society, documented by earlier research.     

Perceptions of Professional Growth: A Mathematics Teacher Educator in Transition

To meet the need for reform in mathematics teacher preparation courses, two cycles of changes made in an elementary mathematics methods course are presented. Using action research, teaching approaches were developed, implemented, and evaluated as a meaningful way to continue my professional development. Results suggested that I improved my teaching practices and focused more on teaching tasks that engaged my students to “think like teachers.” Three critical components of teacher preparation courses are identified that are important for teacher educators to acknowledge when implementing change: (a) using reflective verbal and written communication, (b) establishing a collaborative mathematical community, and (c) focusing on a narrower selection of mathematical content.     

Advanced Mathematical Knowledge in Teaching Practice: Perceptions of Secondary Mathematics Teachers

For the purpose of our research we define Advanced Mathematical Knowledge (AMK) as knowledge of the subject matter acquired during undergraduate studies at colleges or universities. We examine the responses of secondary school teachers about their usage of AMK in teaching. We find that the majority of teachers focus on the purposes and advantages of their AMK for student learning, such as personal confidence, the ability to make connections, and to respond to students' questions; only a few provide content-specific examples. We conclude with a call for a more articulated relationship between AMK and mathematical knowledge for teaching.     

Gender Equity in Mathematics: Beliefs of Students,Parents, and Teachers

The attitudes about mathematics held by girls and boys participating in a regional mathematics contest, their parents, teachers, and mathematics coaches were investigated. Quantitative data regarding mathematics as a male domain, perception of importance of mathematics, confidence in learning mathematics, effectance motivation, and usefulness of mathematics were obtained. It was found that the traditional gender‐based differences in the beliefs regarding mathematics persist even in these mathematically talented students. Furthermore, parents' responses to the questions regarding the role of mathematics revealed that mothers, more than fathers, focused on the computational aspects of mathematics, while fathers more than mothers mentioned the role of mathematics in science or as a language. Boys, fathers, and certain mathematics teachers admitted to a low level of gender stereotyping, as evidenced by their scores on the Mathematics as a Male Domain subscale. However, the girls, mothers, and mathematics coaches did not endorse this stereotyping. Unsolicited responses of girls and mothers, in fact, emphatically denied that gender stereotyping exists. These findings are discussed in terms of the need to resolve the essential conflicts between students', parents', and teachers' deeply held beliefs regarding the nature of mathematics, gender differences in mathematical abilities, and the desire for equity within mathematics education.     

Some Undergraduate Students'' Perceptions of Using Technology for Mathematics: Tales of Resistance

We describe and report some results from a project designed to evaluate the use of information technology (IT) for teaching and learning on a range of undergraduate mathematics courses at a U.K. university. The project involved qualitative methods of enquiry (diaries and seminars). We emphasise that many of the students were positive about much of their use of IT; however in this article we focus particularly on their tales of resistance. These tales were told both by students whose overall perspective about the use of IT in the learning of mathematics was very positive as well as by those who were reluctant users. We have organised this article around two themes: the desire for understandingand technology and power — who is in control? We suggest that these tales spring from non-trivial concerns and that we are likely to be better able to support the development of authoritative learners of mathematics if we heed them.This revised version was published online in September 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.