Two‐year study relating adolescents' self‐concept and gender role perceptions to achievement and attitudes toward science

Abstract

To assess the developmental relationship of perceptions of self‐concept and gender role identification with adolescents' attitudes and achievement in science, a two‐year longitudinal study was conducted. A battery of instruments assessing 16 dimensions of self‐concept/gender role identifications was employed to predict students' achievement and attitudes toward science. Specific behaviors studied included self‐concept in school and science and mathematics, attitudes toward appropriate gender roles in science activities and careers, and self‐perceptions of masculine and feminine traits. One hundred and fifty‐five adolescents, enrolled, respectively, in the seventh and eighth grades, participated in the study. Through Fisher z transformations of correlation coefficients, differences in relationships between these two sets of variables were studied for males and females during the two years. Results indicated that students' self‐concepts/gender role perceptions were related to both achievement and attitudes toward science, but more related to attitudes than achievement. These relationships became more pronounced for students as they matured from seventh to eighth graders.

Influences of attitude toward science, achievement motivation, and science self concept on achievement in science: A longitudinal study

“…A longitudinal study by Handley and Morse (1984) examined relationships of achievement in science to attitude toward science with self and gender role perceptions of seventh and eighth grade students over a two year period. Handley and Morse summarized their findings by saying "that both attitudes and achievement in science were related to the variables of self concept and gender role perceptions of male and female adolescents.…”

Gender differences in Korean high school students’ science achievements and attitudes towards science in three different school settings

“…In the two-year study of Handley and Morse (1984), students' self-concepts/gender role perceptions were related to both their achievements and attitudes towards science. Harty, Samuel, and Beall (1986), using data from 228 sixth-grade students, found that attitudes towards science, interest in science, and science curiosity were highly related.…”

Teacher Education for Effective Science Instruction — A Social Cognitive Perspective

“…This problem seems particularly severe for females. Fewer women are enrolled in science classes than men (Matyas, 1985), and women report less positive attitudes toward science than do men (Handley & Morse, 1984).…”