Do You Stand Out? Perceptions of Ability, Work Ethic, and Participation in College STEM Classes

Authors

  • Amy Roberson Hayes University of Texas at Tyler
  • Kristin J. Hixson University of Texas at Tyler
  • Stephanie L. Masters University of Alabama

Keywords:

ability, motivation, performance, science, mathematics, social science

Abstract

Research has shown female students consistently under-rate their performance and ability in STEM classes relative to their male peers, and that the converse is true for male students (Grusnpan, Eddy, Brownell, Wiggins, Crowe & Goodreau, 2016). Our study examines the possible gender-differentiated experiences of students in college STEM courses. Participants included 192 U.S. undergraduate students (133 female, 59 male). Students completed an online survey which asked them to rate their experiences in their most recent college science, mathematics, and social science classes. Results showed that the grade students received in their most recent class was the variable most predictive of ability and work ethic perceptions, across disciplines.& There were no gender differences in course grade or perceptions of ability in math and science classes, although women ranked themselves significantly higher than men did in terms of work ethic across all three subject areas. Individual motivation factors such as mastery orientation were not related to perceptions of ability in any field but did predict students’ perception of their work ethic.& Finally, there were no effects of the gender composition of the course on students’ perceptions of classroom experiences across disciplines.

Author Biographies

  • Amy Roberson Hayes, University of Texas at Tyler
    Dr. Hayes is an Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychology and Counseling at the University of Texas at Tyler.
  • Kristin J. Hixson, University of Texas at Tyler
    Ms. Hixson is a graduate student in clinical psychology at the University of Texas at Tyler.
  • Stephanie L. Masters, University of Alabama
    Ms. Masters is a graduate student at the University of Alabama.

Downloads

Published

23-04-2020

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 1 (2020)

Section

Special Issue: Re-imagining who does STEM

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).

How to Cite

Do You Stand Out? Perceptions of Ability, Work Ethic, and Participation in College STEM Classes. (2020). International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, 12(1), 65-96. https://genderandset.open.ac.uk/index.php/genderandset/article/view/677