A Study of Female Gender Bias in the Discipline of Mathematics at the Secondary Level in the Danbury Public Schools
Authors
Agoora, Lammia Hasson
Issue Date
1997-10
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Gender bias , Mathematics , Secondary education
Alternative Title
Abstract
This research sought to explore and examine gender bias in the discipline of mathematics at the secondary level. When the study was conducted, the Danbury school system consists of 4272 female students and 4473 male students. A Likert type scale to measure the difference between an individual's feelings towards mathematics called the Mathematics Self Concept Scale (MSCS) was administrated to two hundred and thirty four seventh graders from Rogers Park Middle School. This test was given to examine the difference in the math scores between fem ale and male students. Also, the two hundred and eighty two eighth graders from Rogers Park Middle School took the standardized Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT), and the math section was analyzed. Data from the test scores of three hundred and ninety four students who participated in the math section of the PSA T, and the two hundred and the twenty two students who took the SAT from Danbury High School, was also analyzed. Hypotheses l, 2, 3, and 4, compared the female and male students test scores of the math sections of standardized tests, and their feelings towards mathematics. All the hypotheses were tested by independent sample methods. In all of these tests female students scored lower than male students; the results showed no significant differences on the CMT and PSA T, and significant differences on the SAT and MSCS. It is recommended that the parents, teachers, administrators, and the government work together to ensure an equal educational opportunity for all students. There needs to be a revamping of the American educational system focusing on the following: textbooks, math programs, teacher bias, and standardized test. The Education Test Service (ETS) needs to work toward gender equity in their standardized tests. There also needs to be a classroom environment that is beneficial to female and male students, regardless of gender.
Description
This thesis is being archived as a Digitized Shelf Copy for campus access to current students and staff only. We currently cannot provide this open access without the author's permission. If you are the author of this work and desire to provide it open access or wish access removed, please contact the Wahlstrom Library to discuss permission.
Citation
L.A. Agoora, "A Study of Female Gender Bias in the Discipline of Mathematics at the Secondary Level in the Danbury Public Schools", Ph.D. dissertation, School of Education, Univ. of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, CT, 1997.