Gender Differences in Elective Science Course Enrollment: Influences of Stereotypes and Causal Attributions (2015)

Undergraduate: Allison White

Faculty Advisor: Beth Kurtz-Costes
Department: Psychology & Neuroscience

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More females enroll in high school and college science courses; however, more males are employed in the science domain. In the study, the stereotype that males are better at science than females was investigated. Stereotype threat, the fear of confirming a negative stereotype, can be detrimental to academic performance (Steele & Aronson, 1995). The awareness of a positive stereotype about one¿¿¿s group can produce an achievement boost (Walton & Cohen, 2003). Gender stereotype endorsement and beliefs about science success due to ability were investigated as predictors of elective science course enrollment. Participants reported stereotype endorsement and ability attributions for science success during the 10th grade, and transcript data was collected after completion of the 12th grade. The relationship between stereotype endorsement and ability attributions was marginally significant for girls. There was a significant gender by stereotype interaction, such that stereotype endorsement predicted science course enrollment more strongly for boys than for girls. Ability attribution was also related to course enrollment for both boys and girls. Science grade, ability attribution, and parent education accounted for 38% of the variance in the sample. This provides support for the hypothesis that both gender stereotype endorsement and ability attributions play a role in elective course selection, and that stereotype lift may play a role in maintaining gender disparities in the science.