School Choice Popularity Growing Steadily in Wisconsin
School choice is a growing movement in Wisconsin as parents increasingly take advantage of... Read More
Math Teachers Show Bias Against White Girls, Report Says
A study by two sociologists in Texas has revealed a perception bias against white female students that isn’t justified by their test scores and grades.
A study by two University of Texas sociologists, Catherine Riegle-Crumb and Melissa Humphries, has indicated that high school teachers tend to view white female students as being weaker at math than white male students even when test results indicate similar ability. The study if the first to show a significant perception bias against white girls.
Teachers were asked what Riegle-Crumb calls a “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” question: whether their class was too easy, just right or too hard for a particular student.
“Our results indicated that white girls are about 40 percent less likely than white boys to be perceived by teachers as being in a math class that is ‘too easy’ for them,” Riegle-Crumb said. “Additionally, white girls are about 33 percent more likely than white boys to be perceived as being in too difficult of a class.”
Dr Riegle-Crumb expressed surprise that the study found no difference in the degree of perception bias regardless of the gender of the teacher concerned.
The study analyzed data from 15,000 student and their teachers from sophomore in high school through post-secondary education.
“If the math bias against females is present in elementary school, which past research shows it is, and continues through high school and then college, then it’s much less likely that you will find women pursuing math-related high-status occupations in science and technology,” said Dr. Catherine Riegle-Crumb.
The study that indicates that the widespread belief that math is easier for boys than for girls can be at least partially attributed to this perception and in reality there may be no difference between the sexes when it comes to raw math ability.
Riegle-Crumb says the misconception that white girls can’t handle math persists “Because the idea that men and women are different in this regard is considered natural, and not discriminatory.” At the same time, teachers may be more aware of race and ethnicity – and the problems of racial discrimination – than they are when it comes to gender.
Humphries said that the study highlighted the importance of challenging people’s assumptions.
Recent News
Ohio Study Finds No Correlation Between Teacher Rating, Salary
According to data collected from Ohio’s new value-added teacher ratings, there appears to be... Read More
Dubai to Mandate Parent Rights, Responsibility Contracts
Lawmakers in Dubai hope that forcing schools and parents to sign a legally binding contract before... Read More
Popular News
James Shuls: Why We Need School Choice 26
The Pedagogical Agenda of Common Core Math Standards 24
Julia Steiny: 5th Graders Having a Blast with Algebra 14
Career Index
Plan your career as an educator using our free online datacase of useful information.
- Select a City Subject
- Fire Science Schools in Bethlehem
- Fire Science Schools in Blue Bell
- Fire Science Schools in Butler
- Fire Science Schools in Harrisburg
- Fire Science Schools in Nanticoke
- Fire Science Schools in Newtown
- Fire Science Schools in Philadelphia
- Fire Science Schools in Pittsburgh
- Fire Science Schools in Willow Street
- Fire Science Schools in Youngwood
- Journalism Schools in Chula Vista
- Journalism Schools in Cupertino
- Journalism Schools in Fresno
- Journalism Schools in Gilroy
- Journalism Schools in Glendale
- Journalism Schools in Long Beach
- Journalism Schools in Monterey Park
- Journalism Schools in San Mateo
- Journalism Schools in San Pablo
- Journalism Schools in Torrance
Comments
Great insight and information. Thank you.
This study is meaningless if it doesn’t also take into account what the student’s own perception is of themselves when it comes to doing math. Girls are more likely to be honest with their troubles in a subject than a boy is, and if the teacher is answering questions about a student based also on what the student is telling them, they might be more prone to name girls that are having troubles. Saying that this is discrimination is simplistic at best.
This doesn’t wash as the bias is there regardless of how the student is actually performing or their behavior in class.
This article is bull****.
Because…?
I didn’t read the article. I couldn’t get past the photo. Is this how students are taught to hold a pen or pencil today? Please look at the distal portions of the right index finger. Please note the strain on these muscles and bones, as well as other parts of the hand, thumb, and fingers.
In the next twenty or thirty years are tendon and arthritis disabilities of the hands and fingers going to surpass carpal tunnel wrist injuries due to the lack of emphasis on penmanship in our nation’s government and private schools?
Aww, count on you to focus on what’s really important.
I did a qualitative study some years ago on boys and girls and math. Acccording to 5th grade kids, part of the problem is that boys aren’t as afraid to make mistakes, or to ask questions if they don’t understand.
You should tell this to Jay because according to him he isn’t surprised by the results either because it’s the girls who are not afraid of making mistakes or asking questions.
The reality is that teachers are subject to the same biases as everyone else, and since the perception is that math isn’t a girls’ thing, they absorb it and act on it to the same degree as every other human in America. The truth is, the more equality there is between sexes in the country, the better girls do in science and math compared to the boys. In Scandinavian countries, boys and girls do equally well. This isn’t about who asks more questions and why. This is about sexism.
If I wanted some insight into this subject, I might study fifth grade kids, but I doubt I’d ask for their opinions on the causes. “From the mouth of babes,” is cliche, not a viable academic approach. At least not on this subject.
But, in an ealier post you ripped on me saying its okay for students (and the article was about Kindergartners) evaluating their teachers. They can evaluate teachers but not have an opinion on whether they feel discriminated on in math class?
They can have opinions on their teachers, and opinions if they feel their teachers are biased against them, but I wouldn’t exactly trust them to know why their teacher might be biased. “My math teacher doesn’t like girls.” I believe that. Why their teacher doesn’t like girls is a bit above their life experience to determine.
And why the teacher is bad would be above them thus rendering their opinion not very useful.
Elementary school is a long way behind me, but I can recall having a teacher in third grade who really disliked me. I had no idea why he did, but that he did I was sure. Turned out to be true too, because he got written up for it after one of his observation sessions. Still, I get your point. I’d have a hard time drawing conclusions on one child’s say-so. If the entire classroom is polled privately and individually and a consensus formed, I’d see no reason to mistrust it, barring parental interference of course.
[...] Education News __spr_config = { pid: '4ee25584396cef4b06000024', title: 'Ed News Ticker #2 for April 18th [...]