| Lynne Kyoko Edwards
University of Minnesota
Is leaking pipeline a self-fulfilling prophecy?: Females in math and sciences
FINAL REPORT:
Women are under-represented in math and science-related professions. The data set of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NEL88) was used to explore the effect of two socializers, parents and teachers, on girls' math and science achievement and attitude. The highlights were:
-Parents are important in encouraging math course taking.
-Though both parents and teachers encouragement are important to girls, parental expectation has been noted in various literature to form a self-fulfilling prophecy in children. The less parents expect of their child, the less the child will seek for him/herself.
- For those with parental support in the form of algebra taking in the 8th grade, there is little difference in math attitude and achievement among boys and girls at the 10th and 12th grades.
-Ethnic differences are found in that black girls do not benefit from parental support or teacher support in the form of positive math attitude and high math achievement as much as the girls in other ethnic groups.
-Teachers encouragement mainly function as an anxiety reducer in math courses for girls to speak up.
-Parental support in the form of algebra taking is not related to girls' science attitude or achievement but it is significantly related to boys' science attitude or achievement.
-Parental plans for their children's college aspirations are highly correlated with girls' course taking and attitude in science.
-In comparison to math, the gender issue and science course-taking, attitude, achievement are more complex.
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