Family context predictors of math self-concept among undergraduate STEM majors: An analysis of gender differences
Main Article Content
Abstract
The purpose of the current study was to examine four family context variables (socioeconomic status, mother’s level of education, father’s level of education, and perceived family social support) as predictors of math self-concept among undergraduate STEM majors to better understand the gender differential in math self-concept. Participants included 499 undergraduates (75% of whom were female) at a large research university in the southwestern United States. Results indicated that males had higher math self-concepts than females and that social support predicted math self-concept, particularly for males.
Downloads
Article Details
- Authors retain copyright and grant the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (JoSoTL) right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License, (CC-BY) 4.0 International, allowing others to share the work with proper acknowledgement and citation of the work's authorship and initial publication in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
- Authors are able to enter separate, additional contractual agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
- In pursuit of manuscripts of the highest quality, multiple opportunities for mentoring, and greater reach and citation of JoSoTL publications, JoSoTL encourages authors to share their drafts to seek feedback from relevant communities unless the manuscript is already under review or in the publication queue after being accepted. In other words, to be eligible for publication in JoSoTL, manuscripts should not be shared publicly (e.g., online), while under review (after being initially submitted, or after being revised and resubmitted for reconsideration), or upon notice of acceptance and before publication. Once published, authors are strongly encouraged to share the published version widely, with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
References
Ahmed, W., Minnaert, A., Werf, G., & Kuyper, H. (2010). Perceived social support and early adolescents’ achievement: The mediational roles of motivational beliefs and emotions. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39, 36-46.
Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple Regression: Testing and Interpreting Interactions. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Astin, A. W. (1993). What Matters in College? Four Critical Years Revisited. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Azmitia, M., & Cooper, C. R. (2001). Good or bad? Peer influences on Latino and European American adolescents’ pathways through school. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 6, 45-71.
Bandura, A. (1986). Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Approach. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Bonous-Hammarth, M. (2000). Pathways to success: Affirming opportunities for science, mathematics, and engineering majors. Journal of Negro Education, 69, 92-111.
Bowen, W. G., Kurzweil, M. A., & Tobin, E. M. (2005). Equity and Excellence in American Higher Education. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press.
Brainard, S. G., & Carlin, L. (2001). A six-year longitudinal study of undergraduate women in engineering and science. In M. Lederman & I. Bartsch (Eds.), The Gender and Science Reader. New York: Routledge.
Budny, D. D., & Paul, C. A. (2003). Working with students and parents to improve the freshman retention. Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research, 4, 1-9.
Byars-Winston, A., Estrada, Y., Howard, C., Davis, D., & Zalapa, J. (2010). Influence of social cognitive and ethnic variables on academic goals of underrepresented students in science and engineering: A multiple-groups analysis. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 57, 205-218.
Cabrera, A. F., Nora, A., Terenzini, P. T., Pascarella, E., & Hagedorn, L. S. (1999). Campus racial climate and adjustment of students in college: A comparison between White and AfricanAmerican students. The Journal of Higher Education, 70, 134-155.
Eimers, M. T., & Pike, G. R. (1997). Minority and nonminority adjustment to college: Differences or similarities? Research in Higher Education, 38, 77-97.
Else-Quest, N. M., Hyde, J. S., & Linn, M. C. (2010). Cross-national patterns of gender differences in mathematics: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 136, 103-127.
Farmer, H. S. (1985). Model of career achievement motivation for women and men. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 32, 363-390.
Flores, L. Y., & O’Brien, K. M. (2002). The career development of Mexican American adolescent women: A test of social cognitive career theory. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 49, 14-27.
Furnham, A. (2001). Self-estimates of intelligence: Culture and gender difference in self and other estimates of both general (g) and multiple intelligences. Personality and Individual Differences, 31, 1381-1405.
Furnham, A., Hosow, T., & Tang, T. L.-P. (2002). Male hubris and female humility? A crosscultural study of ratings of self, parental, and sibling multiple intelligence in America, Britain, and Japan. Intelligence, 30, 101-115.
Gainor, K. A., & Lent, R. W. (1998). Social cognitive expectations and racial identity attitudes in predicting the math choice intentions of black college students. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 45, 403-413.
Gottfredson, G. D. (2002). Interests, aspirations, self-estimates, and the self-directed search. Journal of Career Assessment, 10, 200-208.
Graham, S. W., & Gisi, S.L. (2000). The effects of instructional climate and student affairs services on college outcomes and satisfaction. Journal of College Student Development, 41, 279291.
Grandy, J. (1998). Persistence in science of high-ability minority students: Results of a longitudinal study. The Journal of Higher Education, 69, 589-620.
Hamachek, D. (1995). Self-concept and school achievement: Interaction dynamics and a tool for assessing the self-concept component. Journal of Counseling and Development, 73, 419-425.
Heller, K. A., & Ziegler, A. (1996). Gender differences in mathematics and the sciences: Can attributional retraining improve the performance of gifted females? Gifted Child Quarterly, 40, 200-210.
Hortaçsu, N. (1995). Parents’ education levels, parents’ beliefs, and child outcomes. The Journal of Genetic Psychology: Research and Theory on Human Development, 156, 373-383.
House, J. D. (2000). The effect of student involvement on the development of academic selfconcept. Journal of Social Psychology, 140, 261-263.
Hyde, J. S., Fennema, E., Ryan, M., Frost, L. A., & Hopp, C. (1990). Gender comparisons of mathematics attitudes and affect: A meta-analysis. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 14, 299324.
Jacobs, J. E. (2005). Twenty-five years of research on gender and ethnic differences in math and science career choices: What have we learned? New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 110, 85-94.
Johnsen, S. K., & Kendrick, J. (Eds.). (2005). Teaching and Counseling Gifted Girls. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.
Juang, L. P., & Silbereisen, R. K. (2002). The relationship between adolescent academic capability beliefs, parenting, and school grades. Journal of Adolescence, 25, 3-18.
Khattri, N., Riley, K. W., & Kane, M. B. (1997). Students at risk in poor, rural areas: A review of the research. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 13, 79-100.
Kohlstedt, S. G. (2004). Sustaining gains: Reflections on women in science and technology in 20th-century United States. NWSA Journal, 16, 1-26.
Larose, S., Ratelle, C. F., Guay, F., Senécal, C., & Harvey, M. (2006). Trajectories of science self-efficacy beliefs during the college transition and academic and vocational adjustment in science and technology programs. Educational Research and Evaluation, 12, 373-393.
Lee, J. (2009). Universals and specifics of math self-concept, math self-efficacy, and math anxiety across 41 PISA 2003 participating countries. Learning and Individual Differences, 19, 355-365.
Lent, R. W., Brown, S. D., & Hackett, G. (1994). Toward a unifying social cognitive theory of career and academic interest, choice, and performance. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 45, 79122.
Lockwood, P. (2006). “Someone like me can be successful”: Do college students need samegender role models? Psychology of Women Quarterly, 30, 36-46.
Maccoby, E. E., & Martin, J. A. (1983). Socialization in the context of the family: Parent-child interaction. In E. M. Hetherington (Ed.) & P. H. Mussen (Series Ed.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 4. Socialization, personality, and social development (pp. 1-101). New York, NY: Free Press.
Malecki, K. C., & Demaray, M. K. (2003). Perceptions of the frequency and importance of social support by students classified as bullies, victims, and bully/victims in an urban middle school. School Psychology Review, 32, 471-489.
Malecki, C. K., Demaray, M. K., & Elliott, S. N. (2000). A working manual on the development of the child and adolescent social support scale. DeKalb, IL: Northern Illinois University.
Marable, M. (2003). The great wells of democracy: The meaning of race in American life. Cambridge, MA: BasicCivitas Books.
Marsh, H. W. (1989). Self Description Questionnaire (SDQ) III: A Theoretical and Empirical Basis for the Measurement of Multiple Dimensions of Late Adolescent Self-Concept: An Interim Test Manual and a Research Monograph. New South Wales, Australia: University of Western Sydney.
Marsh, H. W., & O’Neill, R. (1984). Self Description Questionnaire III: The construct validity of multidimensional self-concept ratings by late adolescents. Journal of Educational Measurement, 21, 153-174.
Marsh, H. W., & Shavelson, R. (1985). Self-concept: Its multifaceted, hierarchical structure. Educational Psychologist, 20, 107-123.
Marsh, H. W., & Yeung, A. S. (1998). Longitudinal structural equation models of academic selfconcept and achievement: Gender differences in the development of math and English constructs. American Educational Research Journal, 35, 705-738.
Mau, W. C. (2003). Factors that influence persistence in science and engineering career aspirations. The Career Development Quarterly, 51, 234-242.
May, G. S., & Chubin, D. E. (2003). A retrospective on undergraduate engineering success for underrepresented minority students. Journal of Engineering Education, 92, 27-40.
Meece, J. L., & Jones, M. G. (1996). Gender differences in motivation and strategy use in science: Are girls rote learners? Journal of Research in Science and Teaching, 33, 407-431.
Multon, K. D., Brown, S. D, & Lent, R. W. (1991). Relation of self-efficacy beliefs to academic outcomes: A meta-analytic investigation. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 38, 30-38.
National Science Foundation. (2007). Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in science and engineering: NSF 07-315. Division of Science Resource Statistics: Arlington, VA.
Navarro, R. L., Flores, L. Y., & Worthington, R. L. (2007). Mexican American middle school students’ goal intentions in mathematics and science: A test of social cognitive career theory. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 54, 320-335.
Orr, E., & Dinur, B. (1995). Actual and perceived parental social status: Effects on adolescent self-concept. Adolescence, 30, 603-616.
Otto, L. B. (2000). Youth perspectives on parental career influence. Journal of Career Development, 27, 111-117.
Ozturk, M. A., & Singh, K. (2006). Direct and indirect effects of socioeconomic status and previous mathematics achievement on high school advanced mathematics course taking. The Math Educator, 16, 25-34.
Pajares, F. (1996). Self-efficacy beliefs and mathematical problem-solving of gifted students. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 21, 325-344.
Pascarella, E. T., Smart, J. C., Ethington, C. A., & Nettles, M. T. (1987). The influence of college on self-concept: A consideration of race and gender differences. American Educational Research Journal, 24, 49-77.
Pascarella, E., & Terenzini, P. (1991). How College Affects Students. San Francisco: JosseyBass.
Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How College Affects Students. Volume 2: A Third Decade of Research. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Perna, L. W., & Titus, M. A. (2004). Understanding differences in the choice of college attended. The Review of Higher Education, 27, 501-525.
Quilter, S. M. (1995). Academic self-concept and the first-year college student: A snapshot. Journal of the Freshman Year Experience, 7, 39-52.
Rottinghaus, P. J., Lindley, L. D., Green, M. A., & Borgen, F. H. (2002). Educational aspirations: The contribution of personality, self-efficacy, and interests. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 61, 1-19.
Sax, L. J. (1994). Mathematical self-concept: How college reinforces the gender gap. Research in Higher Education, 35, 141-166.
Shavelson, R. J., Hubner, J. J., & Stanton, G. C. (1976). Validation of construct interpretations. Review of Educational Research, 46, 407-441.
Seymour, E. (1995). The loss of women from science, mathematics, and engineering undergraduate majors: An explanatory account. Science Education, 79, 437-473.
Sirin, S. R. (2005). Socioeconomic status and academic achievement: A meta-analytic review of research. Review of Educational Research, 75, 417-453.
Skaalvik, S., & Skaalvik, E. M. (2004). Gender differences in math and verbal self-concept, performance expectations, and motivation. Sex Roles, 50, 241-252.
Sonnert, G., Fox, M. F., & Adkins, K. (2007). Undergraduate women in science and engineering: Effects of faculty, fields, and institutions over time. Social Science Quarterly, 88, 1333-1356.
Steinmayr, R., & Spinath, B. (2009). What explains boys’ stronger confidence in their intelligence? Sex Roles, 61, 736-749.
Tyson,W., Lee, R., Borman, K. M., & Hanson, M. A. (2007). Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) pathways: High school science and math coursework and postsecondary degree attainment. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 12, 243-270.
Walpole, M. (2003). Socioeconomic status and college: How SES affects college experiences and outcomes. The Review of Higher Education, 27, 45-73.
Watt, H. M. G. (2005). Explaining gendered math enrollments for NSW Australian secondary school students. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 110, 15-29.
Whiston, S. C., & Keller, B. K. (2004). The influences of the family of origin on career development: A review and analysis. The Counseling Psychologist, 32, 493-568.
Williams, T., & Williams, K. (2010). Self-efficacy and performance in mathematics: Reciprocal determinism in 33 nations. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102, 453-466.
Yavuz, M. (2009). Factors that affect mathematics-science (MS) scores in the secondary education institutional exam: An application of structural equation modeling. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 9, 1557-1572.