Reanalysis of data for 13,200 twelfth-grade students indicated that sex has a significant effect on mathematics achievement even after controlling for sex differences in spatial abilities and background and interest in mathematics. Women tend to have less spatial visualization ability, and its effects on mathematics achievement are greater for…

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to investigate the factorial validity across gender of the Self-Description Questionnaire III (SDQ III) subscales measuring general, school, English, and mathematics self-concepts. When administered to 516 male/475 female 11th/12th graders in Ottawa (Canada), the questionnaire demonstrated…

Grade-12 results of the Second International Mathematics Study for Belgium, New Zealand, Thailand, and Japan suggest that when single-sex schooling is relatively scarce in a country, it influences student achievement by attracting students with unique characteristics. Achievement effects may be positive or negative depending on the function of…

The purpose of the study was to hypothesize and test a causal model of continuation in the mathematics study sequence. The causal model hypothesized (a) direct effects from parent attitudes and perceptions to student attitudes, spatial visualization skills, and mathematics achievement; and (b) direct effects from student attitudes, spatial…

Longitudinal study of mathematics achievement and gender of (n=60) students progressing from 6th to 12th grade found consistent gender differences in stereotyping mathematics as a male domain; identified no difference in spatial, verbal, or mathematics skills; and found positive correlation between achievement and confidence. (17 references)…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a congressionally mandated survey of educational achievement of what American students know and can do, it also includes a yardstick that can be used to evaluate that performance. Results, presented here for the states and the nation, indicate that just over 60 percent of the students in…

Previous research has provided support for the mediating role of self-efficacy between independent attitude variables and dependent performance measures. However the existence of a confirmatory model, that can be generalized over both males' and females' measures of attitudes, perceived self-efficacy, and achievement levels, has not yet been…

This report illustrates the use of hierarchical linear models (HLM) with National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data to identify school and other correlates of student achievement. Based on an analysis of the 1990 NAEP mathematics achievement data for 4th, 8th, and 12th graders in public schools, this study is part of an ongoing…

This is the second of four phases of reporting the findings of a study of school mathematics in 24 countries, including the United States. The report consists of five parts: (1) introduction; (2) eighth-grade findings; (3) twelfth-grade findings; (4) student attitudes toward mathematics; and (5) concluding remarks. Supporting documentation…

This study examined the structure of adolescent self-concept (SC) structure for males and females by using three different measures of each SC facet in a covariance structure analysis of the data. Specifically, the purposes of the study were to: (1) test the hypothesis of the invariance of a multidimensional, hierarchical SC structure for males…

This study investigated the relationship between attitudes toward mathematics, career interests, and parent variables measured at grade eight and attitudes toward mathematics and career interests as measured at grade twelve. The longitudinal nature of the study will help to determine changes in mathematics attitudes and career interests from the…

In mathematics, Canadian students perform poorly, and enrollment in Canadian postsecondary institutions is low, particularly for women. Clearly, there is a need to understand the personal and social factors that influence mathematics achievement and academic choices. A. Bandura's self-efficacy theory (1977, 1982) implies that academic choices are…

The purpose of this study was to examine patterns with regard to six advanced high school mathematics courses 12th-grade students who took the American College Testing (ACT) assessment had taken between 1987 and 1997. Differences in performance on the ACT mathematics test were studied with respect to mathematics courses taken, gender,…