Teachers’ gender considerations during elementary mathematics lesson design

Abstract

As teachers design lessons, their considerations influence their instructional practice.Researchers have found that teachers often have preconceived ideas about gender and large-scale assessment data show gender differences in mathematics achievement. Given the differences in gender performance, and recognizing the role that gender considerations may play in teaching, this study focuses on teachers' considerations of gender during the lesson planning and implementation process. Findings indicate that teachers in the study minimally consider gender when planning lessons and evidence shows a lack of explicit gender considerations during instructional practice and in conversations about teaching. Results imply that considerations of gender may be quite implicit, which raises concerns about the implications of gender perceptions for student learning in mathematics. K E Y W O R D Sinstruction, lesson planning, math/math education, teachers and teaching | 291 AMADOR

The Effect of Motivation and Self-Efficacy on Math Studies in the Israeli Ministry of Education's Program "Give Five"

“…In Israel, there is a large male-female discrepancy in enrollment for studies in mathematics-related fields in tertiary schools and universities (Zuzovsky, 2003) Gender differences in high school mathematics studies are a well-known phenomenon among teachers and educators and has been studied extensively, beginning from the 1970s (Amador, 2018;Yasar & Metin, 2016). Studies show that from about age 14 girls reach lower math achievements than boys, and girls more than boys avoid taking high level math electives (Amador, 2018;Yasar & Metin, 2016). As a result, when reaching tertiary education girls lack the mathematical readiness required in order to receive enrichment in technological subjects and the exact sciences and they enroll mainly for studies in nursing, the humanities, and the social sciences (Amador, 2018).…”

“…Studies show that from about age 14 girls reach lower math achievements than boys, and girls more than boys avoid taking high level math electives (Amador, 2018;Yasar & Metin, 2016). As a result, when reaching tertiary education girls lack the mathematical readiness required in order to receive enrichment in technological subjects and the exact sciences and they enroll mainly for studies in nursing, the humanities, and the social sciences (Amador, 2018).…”

“…Studies have shown that schoolgirls feel less confident in their ability in mathematics and sciences and less interested in developing a career in science and engineering subjects than boys, (Amador, 2018;Yasar & Metin, 2016) although they are exposed to the same proportion of lessons in these fields and although they do as well as boys (National Science Foundation, 1994). It has been reported that boys and girls on all school levels have a stereotypical image of scientists as being male (Amador, 2018). When boys and girls were given the option of choosing between a selection of science classes or other classes, boys chose science more than girls.…”

“…When boys and girls were given the option of choosing between a selection of science classes or other classes, boys chose science more than girls. When asked to choose classes for members of the other sex, girls chose more science lessons for boys and boys chose less science lessons for girls (Amador, 2018).…”