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Feng H, Xu Y, Huang B, Li H, Zhang M, Cui S, Guo K, Liu X, Si J. Instability, changes, and internal structure of children's attitudes toward mathematics in primary school: A four-wave investigation. Child Dev 2024. [PMID: 38297823 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.14071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
The longitudinal person-oriented study aimed to explore profiles, stability, gender differences, and compositional relations of math attitudes by tracking Chinese third graders (Ntotal = 1013, Mage(T1) = 8.92 ± 0.46, Ngirls = 404) in four waves with 1-year intervals. Five profiles and unstable transitional probabilities were identified among the four waves. The relations between enjoyment to confidence and value shifted from reciprocity to enjoyment dominance, but value negatively predicted later enjoyment and confidence. Additionally, boys' advantages were significant in late elementary school (fifth, sixth grades) and girls benefited from initial positive attitudes. These findings suggest that Chinese students' math attitudes in middle childhood are unstable, shaped by internal and external environmental dynamics, and need to be further explored in cross-cultural research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmin Feng
- School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Yanli Xu
- School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Bijuan Huang
- School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
- Shandong Institute of Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Research, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Hongxia Li
- School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Mingliang Zhang
- School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
- Shandong Academy of Governance, Jinan, China
| | - Shuang Cui
- School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
- School of Economics and Management, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Kaiyue Guo
- School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Xiaoyu Liu
- School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Jiwei Si
- School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
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2
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Cvencek D, Brečić R, Sanders EA, Gaćeša D, Skala D, Meltzoff AN. Am I a good person? Academic correlates of explicit and implicit self-esteem during early childhood. Child Dev 2023. [PMID: 38148568 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.14052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
Implicit and explicit self-esteem are not commonly measured in the same children. Using a cross-sectional design, data from 354 Croatian children (184 girls) in Grade 1 (Mage = 7.55 years) and Grade 5 (Mage = 11.58 years) were collected in Spring 2019. All children completed explicit and implicit self-esteem measures; math and language grades were obtained. For the explicit measure, older children showed lower self-esteem than younger children, and girls showed lower self-esteem than boys. For the implicit measure, there were no age effects, and girls showed higher self-esteem than boys. Although both types of self-esteem were positively associated with academic achievement, implicit self-esteem was associated more strongly with language than with math achievement. Discussion is provided about why self-esteem relates to academic achievement during childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario Cvencek
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Ružica Brečić
- Department of Marketing, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Elizabeth A Sanders
- Measurement and Statistics, College of Education, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Dora Gaćeša
- Department of Marketing, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - David Skala
- Department of Marketing, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Andrew N Meltzoff
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
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Abstract
Despite progress made toward increasing women's interest and involvement in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), women continue to be underrepresented and experience less equity and inclusion in some STEM fields. In this article, I review the psychological literature relevant to understanding and mitigating women's lower fit and inclusion in STEM. Person-level explanations concerning women's abilities, interests, and self-efficacy are insufficient for explaining these persistent gaps. Rather, women's relatively lower interest in male-dominated STEM careers such as computer science and engineering is likely to be constrained by gender stereotypes. These gender stereotypes erode women's ability to experience self-concept fit, goal fit, and/or social fit. Such effects occur independently of intentional interpersonal biases and discrimination, and yet they create systemic barriers to women's attraction to, integration in, and advancement in STEM. Dismantling these systemic barriers requires a multifaceted approach to changing organizational and educational cultures at the institutional, interpersonal, and individual level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toni Schmader
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada;
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Starr CR, Leaper C. Undergraduates’ pSTEM identity and motivation in relation to gender- and race-based perceived representation, stereotyped beliefs, and implicit associations. GROUP PROCESSES & INTERGROUP RELATIONS 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/13684302221128235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Women and underrepresented minoritized (URM) persons remain marginalized in physical science, technology, engineering, and math (pSTEM). Relative to non-URM men, URM women may experience a double disadvantage based on their gender and race whereby they observe few same-gender and few same-race role models in pSTEM while additionally internalizing stereotypes linking pSTEM with non-URM men. Our hypothesized model was partly supported in a sample of undergraduates ( N = 1,068; 68% women, 44% URM). First, perceiving same-gender or same-race pSTEM role models predicted lower explicit stereotypes among women and URM individuals regarding gender and race, respectively. Second, explicit and implicit associations linking pSTEM with men and White/Asian persons predicted (a) lower pSTEM identity among women and URM students and (b) higher identity among men and non-URM students. Finally, both implicit and explicit pSTEM identity positively predicted expectancy–value beliefs.
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Hall W, Schmader T, Cyr E, Bergsieker H. Collectively constructing Gender-Inclusive work cultures in STEM. EUROPEAN REVIEW OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/10463283.2022.2109294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- William Hall
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada
| | - Toni Schmader
- Department of Psychology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Emily Cyr
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Hilary Bergsieker
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
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6
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Social determinants of mathematics and science achievement in historical context. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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7
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Verdugo-Castro S, Sánchez-Gómez MC, García-Holgado A. University students' views regarding gender in STEM studies: Design and validation of an instrument. EDUCATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES 2022; 27:12301-12336. [PMID: 35668903 PMCID: PMC9143708 DOI: 10.1007/s10639-022-11110-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Differences in the representation of diversity in higher education, emphasising the gender gap in some areas, are issues addressed from different research domains. Socially, gender roles have been constructed and are also related to professions. In this context, the Social Cognitive Career Theory explores the possible causes of segregation. This segregation is evident in Europe and Spain, as indicated by the European Institute for Gender Equality. This paper describes the design and validation process of an instrument to find out what opinions university students have about higher education studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), according to gender. After drafting the questionnaire, it was piloted in a non-experimental quantitative design in Spain. Subsequently, a validity and reliability study was applied to validate the items and construct their dimensionality. The process was implemented using Reliability Analysis and Exploratory Factor Analysis. Also, the dimensionality consists of five scales: Gender Ideology, Perception and Self-perception, Expectations about Science, Attitudes and Interests. Based on the results, it is concluded that the opinion about STEM studies is conditioned by personal elements, such as motivations, educational background and family and social influences, such as people who judged their decision, were their references or studied STEM programs. Finally, it is essential to pay socio-educational attention to the modulating components of decisions about which higher education studies to pursue. Awareness of the factors involved in the decision helps the educational community to establish mechanisms to prevent horizontal gender segregation. The instrument designed, validated and presented in this study provides a glimpse of possible causes for the gender gap in STEM higher education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Verdugo-Castro
- GRIAL Research Group, Department of Didactics, Organization and Research Methods, Research Institute for Educational Sciences, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Mª Cruz Sánchez-Gómez
- GRIAL Research Group, Department of Didactics, Organization and Research Methods, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Alicia García-Holgado
- GRIAL Research Group, Computer Science Department, Research Institute for Educational Sciences, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
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Brecic R, Gorton M, Cvencek D. Development of Children’s implicit and explicit attitudes toward healthy Food: Personal and environmental factors. Appetite 2022; 176:106094. [DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2022.106094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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The psychometric properties of the Mathematics Attitude Scale for Adults (MASA). CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-02980-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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10
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Science-utility and science-trust associations and how they relate to knowledge about how science works. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0260586. [PMID: 34914732 PMCID: PMC8675735 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Knowledge about how science works, trust in scientists, and the perceived utility of science currently appear to be eroding in these times in which “alternative facts” or personal experiences and opinions are used as arguments. Yet, in many situations, it would be beneficial for the individual and all of society if scientific findings were considered in decision-making. For this to happen, people have to trust in scientists and perceive science as useful. Still, in university contexts, it might not be desirable to report negative beliefs about science. In addition, science-utility and science-trust associations may differ from explicit beliefs because associations were learned through the co-occurrence of stimuli rather than being based on propositional reasoning. We developed two IATs to measure science-utility and science-trust associations in university students and tested the psychometric properties and predictive potential of these measures. In a study of 261 university students, the IATs were found to have good psychometric properties and small correlations with their corresponding self-report scales. Science-utility and science-trust associations predicted knowledge about how science works over and above self-reported beliefs. The results suggest that indirect measures are useful for assessing beliefs about science and can be used to predict outcome measures.
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Abstract
Strong foundational skills in mathematical problem solving, acquired in early childhood, are critical not only for success in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematical (STEM) fields but also for quantitative reasoning in everyday life. The acquisition of mathematical skills relies on protracted interactive specialization of functional brain networks across development. Using a systems neuroscience approach, this review synthesizes emerging perspectives on neurodevelopmental pathways of mathematical learning, highlighting the functional brain architecture that supports these processes and sources of heterogeneity in mathematical skill acquisition. We identify the core neural building blocks of numerical cognition, anchored in the posterior parietal and ventral temporal-occipital cortices, and describe how memory and cognitive control systems, anchored in the medial temporal lobe and prefrontal cortex, help scaffold mathematical skill development. We highlight how interactive specialization of functional circuits influences mathematical learning across different stages of development. Functional and structural brain integrity and plasticity associated with math learning can be examined using an individual differences approach to better understand sources of heterogeneity in learning, including cognitive, affective, motivational, and sociocultural factors. Our review emphasizes the dynamic role of neurodevelopmental processes in mathematical learning and cognitive development more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinod Menon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Stanford Neuroscience Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Symbolic Systems Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Hyesang Chang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
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