Context, confidence and the able girl¹

Summary Girls do not appear to perform as well as boys on questions which involve the application of knowledge in mathematical and scientific contexts. This study was an attempt to explore the level of confidence in mathematics and science of girls in their third year of secondary schooling and to use the findings as a means of raising their consciousness. Third‐year pupils were first given an NFER Quantitative assessment. A few weeks later they were presented with four questions, two of which were set in unfamiliar contexts. They had to decide whether or not they could successfully answer them. The responses were recorded and analysed and then presented for discussion to a group of the more‐able girls. On the two science questions, the boys responded more positively, but a marked difference was found between the responses of the more‐able boys and girls. Individually the more‐able girls appeared to lack confidence in their own ability to answer the questions, but the group discussions showed that they expected other girls to respond positively. When the girls discussed the results in a group situation, they overestimated the likely response of their (female) peer group. The framework of the study is suggested as a possible model for initiating INSET work on gender issues and for raising the consciousness of girls about their own level of self‐confidence and the factors which affect it.