Title: Predicting the Calculus Level Selected by Gifted High School Females
1Predicting the Calculus Level Selected by Gifted
High School Females
- A Discriminant Analysis
- Dr. Catherine Reed
2-
- The gender gap in high school mathematics
course taking has disappeared for the most part,
and women are earning close to half of the
bachelors degrees in science and engineering. - - National Science Foundation
3- Despite this, female participation at advanced
levels in mathematics continues to lag behind
that of males. - - National Science Technology Council
- Females are more likely than males not to
continue advanced mathematics coursework beyond
the minimum requirements for high school
graduation. - - Adams
4- The research site was a Governors Regional
School for Science and Technology. - Students are selected during 8th grade on the
basis of aptitude and interest in sciences and
related fields - Grades
- Recommendations
- Entrance exam score
5Background
- Administration and faculty expressed concern
about low numbers of females taking higher
mathematics. - Previous initiatives had not yielded desired
results.
6Methodology
- Qualitative Interviews
- 6 females in final semester at the site
- Focus Groups
- Faculty in mathematics, physics, and computer
science - Instrumentation
- Existing instruments insufficient
- Developed new instrument
7Qualitative Research
- 6 senior females in their last semester of high
school - Themes
- Safe learning environment
- Pressured to apply for admission by
significant others - Interests have changed since 8th grade
- Pervasive gender bias
- Few opportunities for electives
8Faculty Focus Groups
- Course work extremely challenging and fast paced
- Rich elective opportunities within requirement
groups - No gender bias
- Very concerned about females flagging interest
in mathematics
9Creation of New Instrument
- Based on
- Qualitative interviews
- Faculty focus groups
- Prior research into the patterns of course
selection by females
10Factors Associated with Mathematics Course
Selections of Females
- Classroom Environment
- Teacher interactions
- Competition and marginalization
Significant Others Counselors and
teachers Parents/Guardians Peer Groups Role
Models
11Factors Associated with Mathematics Course
Selections by Females
- Perceptions
- Self confidence
- Anxiety and risk-taking
- Mathematics as a male domain
- Importance of Mathematics
12Instrument Development and Administration
- Topics entered into grid
- Graduates reviewed grid, added topics, and
suggested formatting - Review by 2 female mathematics teachers
- Advanced Placement Statistics classes piloted
the instrument - Volunteers participated (n98)
13Factor Analysis
- Employed SPSS version 8
- Suppressed factor loadings lt.4
- Resulted in 5 factors
14Factor 1 Satisfaction with Precalculus
15Factor 2 Perceptions of Encouragement
16Factor 3 Comfort with Teacher Style
17Factor 4 Importance of Mathematics
18Factor 5 General Achievement
19Separation of Calculus Groups
- Groups differed at the .05 level of significance
on 3 factors - Factor I - Satisfaction with Precalculus
- Factor II - Perceptions of Encouragement
- Factor V - General Achievement
- Groups differed at the .06 level of significance
on Factor IV - Importance of Mathematics - No separation of groups on Factor III - Comfort
with Teacher Style
20Discriminant Function
- Y .909f1 .426f2 .068f3 .381f4 .589f5
- Correctly predicts calculus level for 83
- n 50 for calculus AB
- n 47 for calculus BC
- 14 of Calculus AB incorrectly predicted
- 20 of Calculus BC incorrectly predicted
21Implications
- Even for high performing females, classroom
environment issues remain highly important - Perceptions of encouragement significantly
different for the two calculus groups - SAT scores, though high, do discriminate between
the two groups
22Non-Significant Factors
- Importance of mathematics expected to be
statistically significant - Calculus AB students regarded by selves and
teachers to enjoy humanities and arts more than
Calculus BC students - Comfort with teacher style expected to be
significant - All who contributed to the development of the
instrument agreed.