Bridging the Gender Gap in Non-Cognitive Student Outcomes

Kaley Lesperance, Research associate TUM

The working title of this dissertation project is Bridging the Gender Gap in Non-Cognitive Student Outcomes. The dissertation is a cumulative, publication-based dissertation, and will be comprised of two scientific articles.

Study 1

The first part of this dissertation is a meta-analysis which investigates the differential effects of school-based interventions on the motivational-affective factors of male and female students. Motivational-affective factors include constructs such as interest, enjoyment, self-concept, attitudes, beliefs, anxiety and self-efficacy in specific school subjects. Male and female students often display gaps in these factors in subjects that are stereotypically viewed as one gender being more capable than the other (e.g., math and science are stereotypically “male” subjects, reading and writing stereotypically “female”). These gaps in motivational-affective factors can lead to gaps in student performance, as well as differences in future career choices and study tracks between males and females. The goal of this meta-analyss is to analyze interventions that target these motivational-affective factors in students, in order to assess if these any of these interventional methods have different effects for male and female students, and could therefore have the potential to help close the gap in these factors between the genders.

Study 2

The second part of this dissertation will also focus on gender differences in student motivational-affective factors. This study will look more closely at aspects on the classroom and teacher level that potentially affect these factors in students. Teaching practices, beliefs and behaviors have a strong relationship with student outcomes, and this study will aim to answer the question: what can and should teachers do in their daily instructional practices that contributes to closing this gender gap?

This study will use data from the OECD German Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) Video Study, which obtained video footage, as well as teacher and student questionnaire data, from 85 mathematics classrooms in German lower secondary classes. This data will be used to explore the relationship between teaching practices and gender differences in motivational-affective student outcomes.

 

Doctoral supervisor: Prof. Dr. Doris Holzberger
Mentor: Prof. Dr. Sarah Hofer