Geary David C, Hoard Mary K, Nugent Lara, Chu Felicia, Scofield John E, Hibbard Dana Ferguson
University of Missouri.
Columbia Public Schools.
J Educ Psychol. 2019 Nov;111(8):1447-1461. doi: 10.1037/edu0000355. Epub 2019 Mar 7.
Sex differences in the strength of the relations between mathematics anxiety, mathematics attitudes and mathematics achievement were assessed concurrently in sixth grade ( = 1,091, 545 boys) and longitudinally from sixth- to seventh-grade ( = 190, 97 boys). Mathematics anxiety was composed of two facets, one associated with evaluations and the other for learning more generally. Girls had higher mathematics anxiety for evaluations than did boys (s = -.30 to -.52), but not for mathematics learning. In sixth grade, the negative correlation between mathematical competence and mathematics anxiety for evaluations was stronger in girls than in boys. Longitudinally, higher mathematical competence in sixth grade was associated with lower mathematics anxiety for evaluations and better mathematics attitudes in seventh grade for girls but not for boys. The key finding is that adolescent girls' mathematics anxiety and their attitudes toward mathematics are more reflective of their actual mathematical competence than they are for boys. One implication is that relative to boys with low mathematics achievement, girls with low achievement are at higher risk of developing mathematics anxiety and poor attitudes toward mathematics.
在六年级(N = 1091,545名男生)时同时评估了数学焦虑、数学态度和数学成绩之间关系强度的性别差异,并在六年级到七年级期间(N = 190,97名男生)进行了纵向评估。数学焦虑由两个方面组成,一个与评估相关,另一个更普遍地与学习相关。女孩在评估方面的数学焦虑高于男孩(效应量 = -0.30至-0.52),但在数学学习方面并非如此。在六年级,女孩的数学能力与评估方面的数学焦虑之间的负相关比男孩更强。纵向来看,六年级较高的数学能力与七年级女孩评估方面较低的数学焦虑和更好的数学态度相关,但与男孩无关。关键发现是,青少年女孩的数学焦虑及其对数学的态度比男孩更能反映她们实际的数学能力。一个启示是,相对于数学成绩低的男孩,成绩低的女孩产生数学焦虑和对数学态度差的风险更高。