Achievement, Parental Support and Gender Differences in Attitudes Toward Mathematics

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships of attitudes toward mathematics with mathematics achievement, parental support, and gender. A secondary analysis was conducted using nationally representative samples of 13-year-old students in the United States (n = 3,846) and Thailand (n = 3,528), which were collected as a part of the Second International Mathematics Study (Garden, 1987). A multivariate general linear model was used to analyze the data within each country. Four attitude scales (Mathematics and Myself, Mathematics and Society, Mathematics as a Male Domain, and Mathematics Anxiety) were used as the criterion variables. Mathematics achievement, parental support, and gender were used as the predictor variables. In both countries, achievement, parental support, and gender were significant predictors of attitudes toward mathematics. The data suggest that there are gender differences in attitudes toward mathematics for 13-year-olds in the United States and Thailand. The largest gender differences were found on the Mathematics as a Male Domain scale. Even after controlling for achievement and parental support, we found that gender differences in attitudes toward mathematics were significant.