Indicator 16: Gender Differences in Students' Attitudes Toward Mathematics

G-20 Countries Included: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Kingdom,7 United States

In six G-20 countries (including the United States), higher percentages of eighth-grade males than females liked mathematics, with differences ranging from 2 percentage points in the United States to 8 percentage points in Japan.

This indicator examines the differences between male and female students' attitudes toward mathematics across the G-20 countries that participated in TIMSS 2011 and PISA 2012. For fourth- and eighth-graders, it is based on an index formed using data from TIMSS 2011: the Students Like Learning Mathematics index. This index placed students into one of three categories (like learning mathematics, somewhat like learning mathematics, and do not liking learning mathematics) based on whether they agreed a lot, agreed a little, disagreed a little, or disagreed a lot with the statements listed in "Definitions and Methodology" below. The data in this indicator are for the highest category (i.e., like learning mathematics) in the index. For 15-year-olds, the data are based on a question from PISA 2012 that asked students about their intrinsic motivation to learn. The question asked students whether they strongly agreed, agreed, disagreed, or strongly disagreed with the following statement: I am interested in the things I learn in mathematics. The indicator reports the percentage of students who agreed or strongly agreed with this statement.

Looking across the TIMSS and PISA data, there are four countries (among those that participated in both assessments) in which higher percentages of males than females liked mathematics or were interested in what they learned in mathematics: Australia, Italy, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. In contrast, in the United States, there were small or no differences between the percent-ages of male and female fourth- and eighth-graders who liked mathematics, but a 7-point difference between the percentages of male and female 15-year-olds who were interested in what they learned in mathematics (with males being more interested).

In 7 of 11 participating G-20 countries, there were differences in the percentage of fourth-grade males and females who liked mathematics. In five countries (Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the Republic of Korea), higher percentages of fourth-grade males than females liked mathematics, with differences ranging from 5 percentage points in Italy to 13 percentage points in Germany (figure 16-1). In two countries, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, higher percentages of females than males liked mathematics (by 20 and 6 percentage points, respectively). Forty-five percent of fourth-grade males in the United States liked mathematics, which was lower than in Italy, the Russian Federation, and Turkey and higher than in Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland). Forty-four percent of U.S. fourth-grade females liked mathematics, which was lower than in Italy, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey and higher than in Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland).

In 7 of 10 G-20 countries, there were differences in the percent-ages of eighth-grade males and females who liked mathematics. In all of these countries except Turkey, higher percentages of males than females liked mathematics, with differences ranging from 2 percentage points in the United States to 8 percentage points in Japan (figure 16-2). (The other countries included Australia, Italy, the Republic of Korea, Turkey, and the United Kingdom [England].)

In 12 of 15 participating G-20 countries, higher percentages of 15-year-old males than females were interested in what they learned in mathematics, with differences ranging from 2 percentage points in Mexico to 17 percentage points in Germany (figure 16-3). The difference between the percentages of U.S. males and females who were interested in what they learned in mathematics was 7 percentage points. Fifty-three percent of males in the United States were interested in what they learned in mathematics, which was lower than in 12 countries and higher only than in Japan. Forty-seven percent of females in the United States were interested in what they learned in mathematics, which was lower than in nine countries, higher than in Japan, and not different from the percentage in the Republic of Korea. Twenty percent of eighth-grade males in the United States liked mathematics, which was lower than in the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey and higher than in Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom (England). Among females, 18 percent of U.S. eighth-graders liked mathematics, which, as for males, was lower than in the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey and higher than in Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom (England), as well as higher than in Australia and Italy.

Definitions and Methodologie

This indicator is based on data from the TIMSS 2011 and PISA 2012 student questionnaires. Both questionnaires obtained information about students' home and school lives, including basic demographic information, as well as information about students' home environ-ment, school climate for learning, and self-perception and attitudes toward mathematics.

In TIMSS, the Students Like Learning Mathematics index meas-ured how much students liked learning mathematics. The index placed students into one of three categories (like learning mathematics, somewhat like learning mathematics, and do not like learning mathematics) based on whether they agreed a lot, agreed a little, disagreed a little, or disagreed a lot with the following five statements: I enjoy learning mathematics; I wish I did not have to study mathematics; mathematics is boring; I learn many interesting things in mathematics; and I like mathematics.
In TIMSS 2011 at the fourth grade, countries were required to sample students in the grade that corresponded to the end of 4 years of formal schooling, providing that the mean age at the time of testing was at least 9.5 years. In TIMSS 2011 at the eighth grade, countries were required to sample students in the grade that corresponded to the end of 8 years of formal schooling, providing that the mean age at the time of testing was at least 13.5 years. As defined by TIMSS, the first year of formal schooling begins with the first year of primary school (ISCED97 level 1), which should mark the beginning of formal instruction in reading, writing, and mathematics. (Note that kindergarten is not counted.) For most countries, the target grades were fourth and eighth grades or their national equivalents.

In PISA, four questions were used to measure 15-year-olds' intrinsic motivation to learn mathematics. The questions asked students whether they strongly agreed, agreed, disagreed, or strongly disagreed with the following statements: (a) I enjoy reading about mathematics; (b) I look forward to my mathematics lessons; (c) I do mathematics because I enjoy it; and (d) I am interested in the things I learn in mathematics. This analysis uses the percentage of students who agreed or strongly agreed with (d) I am interested in the things I learn in mathematics as a measure of students' attitudes toward mathematics.

In PISA 2012, countries were required to sample students who were between the ages of 15 years and 3 months and 16 years and 2 months at the time of the assessment and who had completed at least 6 years of formal schooling, regardless of the type of institution in which they were enrolled.

Top

7 As noted in the introduction, the United Kingdom is treated as one country in PISA and separate entities (England and Northern Ireland, here) in TIMSS.