Beilock, S. L., Gunderson, E. A., Ramirez, G., & Levine, S. C. (2010).

Female teachers' math

anxiety affects girls' math achievement. Proceedings of the National Academy of

Sciences of the United States of America, 107(5), 1860-1863.

In this article the relationship between female elementary teachers math anxiety and their

female students achievement and feelings towards math is examined. The authors argue

that math anxiety displayed by female teachers has a negative effect on female students

achievement in math. To prove their hypothesis seventeen first and second grade teachers

were observed at the beginning and end of a term. They were interviewed regarding their

math anxiety. At the same time the students mathematical abilities were assessed. At the

beginning of the term no relation between a teachers math anxiety and the abilities of

their female students could be found. However, by the end of the term there was a distinct

correlation between the level of math anxiety experienced by the teacher and the

achievements of their female students. The more anxious the female teacher was the

lower their female students achievements in math were.

In the article it is suggested that elementary aged children are very aware of gender, as

well as commonly held beliefs about gender and ability. Children are very susceptible to

these beliefs and are likely to conform to ideas about gender they perceive as appropriate.

As a result, if female students are presented with the notion that boys are good at math

and girls are not, they are more likely to take these misconceptions on as truth. The

authors suggest that female teachers anxiety towards math helps confirm the stereotype

that women are not good at math. Female students who believed this stereotype

performed poorly in math compared to female students who did not hold his belief.
 This article is very valuable for female elementary teachers. It is so important to ensure

that one feels comfortable and excited about what they are teaching, lest anxieties be

passed on to our students. Female teachers must display confidence and excitement with

regards to math to ensure that students do not learn the harmful gender stereotype that

girls are not good at math.

Cvencek, D., Meltzoff, A.N., & Greenwald, A.G. (2011). Math-gender stereotypes in elementary

school children. Child Development, 82(3), 766-779.

It has been found that in North America there is a widespread belief among both children

and adults that math is predominantly a male domain. The authors suggest that this

pervasive stereotype has a negative effect on how young girls view their mathematical

abilities. The study suggests that there are three aspects of social cognition that are

involved with this. The first being the association between math and boy or girl, or how

strongly someone views math as a subject males are better at. The second relates to

gender identity, whether the person views themselves as male or female. The third is the

association between ones self and math. The research indicates that for women the

stronger the association between the self and female, between math and male, the weaker

the association between math and the self. This negative gender association is insidious

and is something many girls learn from a young age.

A study was carried out of 247 American children between 6 and 10 years of age. These

children completed an Implicit Association Test and explicit self-report measures to

assess the correlation between gender, math-gender stereotypes and math self-concept.

The main aim of the study was to measure and assess childrens math-gender stereotypes
 and math self-concepts. As expected the study found that both boys and girls showed a

stronger association between boys and math than girls and math, indicating that strong

gender stereotypes exist even at these young ages. The study found that math-gender

stereotypes develop at very early ages, and that the stereotype emerges before differences

in math achievement ever develop.

The findings of the study are extremely important. The pervasive nature of math-gender

stereotypes is something that all teachers must be aware of and work to negate. Teachers

must work hard to dispel the notion that girls are not good at math. Given the society in

which we live, fighting this stereotype in the classroom is difficult, girls as young as 5 or

6 have already learned to believe that this stereotype is true. Yet, it is vital to future

generations that educators take all steps necessary to ensure that their female students feel

just as able and equipped to achieve in mathematics as their male peers.

Leaper, C., Farkas, T., & Brown, C.S. (2012). Adolescent girls experiences and gender-related

beliefs in relation to their motivation in math/science and English. Journal of Youth &

Adolescence, 41(3), 268-282.

Although the number of women in math and science fields has increased, overall women

are still greatly underrepresented in fields relating to math, science, technology and

engineering. The authors claim that this is the result of a combination of social and

personal factors. For example, social factors include how much girls are encouraged to do

well in STEM related subjects, and personal factors include STEM-gender related

attitudes and how these effect girls motivation in these subject areas. The study looks at

how social and personal factors relate to girls motivation in STEM and non-STEM
subjects. It has been found that people tend to do better in subjects that they feel

competent in and value. During adolescence girls do as well as boys in STEM subjects

grade wise, but boys have a much higher sense of ability in these areas than girls do. The

authors surmise that difference in how the two genders view their abilities is the main

reason for variance in academic achievement later on. In the study girls motivation in

math/science versus their motivation in English was evaluated. The intent was to shed

light on what may cause girls to feel more motivated in the domain of English opposed to

math and science. 579 girls, aged 13-18 years participated in the study. The girls were

asked to fill out a questionnaire entitled, What it means to be a girl. Academic

motivation was also measured; this included the subjects beliefs as to their abilities in the

subject areas. The participants gender identity, parental education, academic support, and

exposure to feminism were all measured during the study. The study found that girls

motivation in math and science was positively related to their grade in those areas, their

parents education, parents support of math and science, peers math and science support,

and exposure to feminism. Motivation in math and science was found to be particularly

positive if the participants peers and mother supported and positively related to those

subject areas. Girls motivation in math and science was found to be negatively impacted

by age and the amount of parental pressure to conform to gender norms.

The findings of this article are very beneficial to educators seeking to motivate girls in

the STEM fields. Too often girls grow up with the belief that boys are good at math and

sciences and girls are good at English. It is vital that educators dispel this stereotype. The

results of the study depicted in this article provide educators with the tools needed to help

motivate girls in these subject areas.

Education Journal, 35(2), 181-188.

It was found that pre-service teachers overall are more anxious and have a poorer attitude

towards math than the general university population. In the article it is presented that it is

this anxiety towards mathematics that is the greatest deterring factor when it comes to

learning math. Teachers who experience these high levels of math anxiety are much more

likely to pass these feeling about math on to their students. A study was conducted by

Gresham with the aim of both identifying math anxiety and its correlation to how pre-

service teachers are instructed in math methods courses. The hypothesis was that

effective mathematics instruction, one that relies on Bruners method of teaching, will not

only reduce math anxiety but can also prevent it from developing in the first place. The

study aimed to develop research to help reduce the level of anxiety in pre-service

teachers. Working to reduce the levels of math anxiety in teachers is very important for

there is a tendency to avoid and be fearful when teaching math if one experiences math

anxiety; feelings that are often transferred to students. The research indicates that the

transfer of math anxiety most severely affects female students. Female students have been

found to have much higher mathematics related anxiety levels.

The study took place over the course of 4 years. 246 elementary pre-service teachers

were the subjects of the study. Researchers wanted to both look at the levels of math

anxiety in their participants and see if enrolment in a math methods course would reduce

levels of math anxiety. The results of the study found math anxiety to be reduced when

certain actions were taken by the educators. It was found that math anxiety was reduced
 when manipulatives were frequently used; when the educator was enthusiastic and the

environment was inviting; and with the use of journal writing throughout the semester.

The majority of the participants found the frequent use of manipulatives to be the most

beneficial for reducing math anxiety.

The results of this study make it clear that educators have a significant effect on the level

of math anxiety felt by students. It is important as educators to deal with our own math

anxieties before working with students, as these anxieties have been shown to transfer

from the teacher to the student. On top of this, it is also vital that educators teach math in

a way that reduces and even deters math anxiety from forming. The results of the study

show that teacher enthusiasm and the frequent use of concrete manipulatives is essential

for this.

Tomasetto, C., Alparone, F.R., & Cadinu, M. (2011). Girls math performance under stereotype

threat: The moderating role of mothers gender stereotypes. Developmental Psychology,

47(4), 943-949.

Despite advances there still remains a gender gap in math. The article suggests that

gender difference in math performance occur when there is a threatening environment.

According to the authors these threatening environments occur frequently, and are often

created when traditional gender stereotypes are present. The authors suggest that it is the

threat of these gender stereotypes that deter female mathematical achievement, not a lack

of ability. The idea is that although women are just as capable in math as their male peers,

they are often deterred by the concern that their performance in math will confirm the
 stereotype. This thought process leads to a negative conception of math, which in turn

can cause reduced achievement. The effects of math-gender stereotypes have been shown

to start as young as first grade. At six years old, female students are already reporting

lower self-perceptions of math abilities than male students.

When conducting their study the authors expected to find that the higher the parents

endorsement of gender stereotypes the lower their female childs achievements in math

would be. The expectation was that the more parents endorsed gender stereotypes the

more likely their female child was to be susceptible to stereotype threat when introduced

in a mathematics classroom. The study found that gender stereotypes have a pronounced

negative effect on girls math performance. The study also found that if a childs mother

strongly rejected the gender stereotype it had a profoundly positive effect on their childs

math achievement and performance under stereotype threat in the classroom.

The findings of this study are important for educators to consider. The fact that the

mothers rejection of gender stereotypes has such a positive effect on female students is

something that educators should convey to parents. This rejection of stereotypes should

also be modelled by the teacher. This will likely be especially beneficial for female

students, who have a female teacher, as it has been documented that female teachers

enthusiastic attitude towards math has a positive effect on female students achievements.

Froschl, M., & Sprung, B.(2016). Organization spotlight: Furthering girls math identity: The

key to girls math success. Childhood Education, 92(4), 320-323.

Research has found that over half of students plan to drop math as soon as they can, they

feel that it is not necessary or applicable to real-life. Yet, doing so will preclude them
from over 60% of future jobs. These statistics are especially concerning for girls, as

studies have found that math identity often deters female students from pursuing careers

in mathematical fields. Students who have a positive math identity feel that they belong

in the math classroom, those that do not usually feel they do not belong and are less

engaged and have lower achievement. Girls often learn negative math identity from

young ages. Our society presents a message to girls, through toys, television, teacher and

parental attitudes that math is a masculine domain. From very young ages girls learn

math-gender stereotypes that suggest that girls are not inherently good at math.

The article suggests that often the way math is traditionally taught is not beneficial to

how many girls learn. In math girls often need to understand the why of a concept.

When teaching math there should be an emphasis on hands-on experience, project-based

learning, and real-life applications, these methods are especially beneficial for female

students but are found to increase the achievements of male students as well.

As educators we must work to promote positive math identity in our female students.

Teachers must use practices that enhance female engagement and achievement in math,

and encourage positive views and expectations of girls in math.