ERIC Number: EJ1426347
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Jun
Pages: 27
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1033-2170
EISSN: EISSN-2211-050X
"If You're a Dude, You're a Chick, Whatever the Hell in Between, You Need to Know about Maths": The Australian and Canadian General Public's Views of Gender and Mathematics
Limin Jao; Jennifer Hall; Cinzia Di Placido
Mathematics Education Research Journal, v36 n2 p339-365 2024
Research on gender issues and mathematics education is often conducted in classroom settings and/or with teachers, students, and parents. However, perspectives about mathematics from adults beyond teachers and parents can have an impact on students. Thus, we conducted research in Australia and Canada about the general public's views of gender and mathematics. Participants (n = 405) were surveyed using a questionnaire in which all questions were worded in a non-binary manner. In this article, we focus on participants' views about gender and mathematics ability, and the importance of studying mathematics by gender. We report both overall trends and trends by demographic group (country, gender, age, and education level). The majority of participants indicated that there was no relationship between gender and mathematics ability or between gender and the importance of studying mathematics. Participants with gendered views typically felt that boys/men/males are better at mathematics and that it was more important for girls/women/females to study mathematics. Although the findings were generally encouraging, the existence of sexist, stereotyped views highlights the need for additional work to probe people's views of gender and mathematics. Our study is an example of mathematics education research conducted in a gender-inclusive way.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Social Attitudes, Public Opinion, Sex, Mathematics, Gender Issues, Mathematics Education, Mathematics Skills, Gender Differences, Gender Bias, Sex Stereotypes, Educational Research
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2123/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia; Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A