Date

Spring 2015

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Department

Teacher Education

Abstract

Researchers have been analyzing the difference in performance between female and male math students since it was first documented in the 1950s. The issue of male students disproportionately outperforming their female counterparts, also known as the math gender gap, has been studied extensively over the last few decades with researchers attempting to understand what contributes to math gender gaps and how they can be closed. This study examined the current state of the math gender gap, how teachers incorporate gender equity into their practices, and the attitudes and beliefs of students in relation to math by conducting a three-part classroom action research study. To gain greater insight into the issue, four high school classrooms were observed for a period of four weeks, teachers were interviewed regarding to what extent they take gender equity into account, and a post-observation, affective survey was given to the students. As most of the reports on the issue base their conclusions on standardized test data, it was hoped that conducting an in-the-field, classroom study would provide more insight into the root causes of the gender gap as well as what concrete steps educators, students, and the public at large can take to help bring about greater gender equity in mathematics. The study finds that while progress has certainly been made in regards to gender equity in math, some of the traditional inequitable patterns persist and that teachers can help create a more equitable situation by incorporating gender equity into their daily routines and practices.

Comments

Thesis (M.A.) Teacher Education Department

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