An Empirical Study of Gender Difference in the Relationship between Self‐Concept and Mathematics Achievement in a Cross‐Cultural Context

The reciprocal relationship between mathematics achievement and self‐concept is examined in this study to expand the existing knowledge to a cross‐cultural setting. Based on analyses of educational data two years before and after Hong Kong’s sovereignty switch in 1997, this investigation shows a weak reciprocal relationship among the eighth‐grade students across gender categories. With the introduction of a new policy to promote Chinese instruction, changes in the perceived importance of English have been assessed by education stakeholders, and the results are used to indicate a latent factor of “English push” behind the learning process. In the context of cross‐cultural transition, gender differences have been found in path coefficients toward mathematics achievement and self‐concept. Limited by the four‐year research period, one may speculate whether it would take longer to demonstrate a large effect size in the reciprocal relationship.