The association between the gender gap in science achievement and students’ perceptions of their own attitudes and capabilities

Sulaiman M. Al-Balushi; Nasser Mansour; Rashid S. Almehrizi; Abdullah K. Ambusaidi; Ibrahim S. Al-Harthy

doi:10.29333/ejmste/12559

Full Text (PDF)

Sulaiman M. Al-Balushi ¹ ^* , Nasser Mansour ² , Rashid S. Almehrizi ¹ , Abdullah K. Ambusaidi ³ , Ibrahim S. Al-Harthy ⁴

More Detail

¹ Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, OMAN² Qatar University, Doha, QATAR³ Ministry of Education, Muscat, OMAN⁴ National University for Science and Technology, Muscat, OMAN^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Among the countries that participated in the trends in international mathematics and science study (TIMSS) 2019 for grade 8 science, Oman had the highest gender gap in favor of girls. The current study explores the gender gap in science achievement in Oman and relates it to students’ varying perceptions of their own attitudes and capabilities. The sample in the study comprised 467 grade 9 students, 266 female and 201 male. The participants were given a TIMSS-like science test, along with four self-perception surveys; these explored metacognitive awareness, self-regulation (SR), science learning self-efficacy (SLSE), and attitudes to science (AS). The results indicated that student self-perceptions of SR, SLSE, and AS, were significantly related to the gender gap in students with higher-level science achievement. The results were different when looking at the gender gap in scores for lower-level questions; here, there was no relation to any of the four self-perception variables explored in the study.

Keywords

gender gap
TIMSS science achievement
metacognitive awareness
self-regulation
science learning self-efficacy
attitudes to science

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 18, Issue 11, November 2022, Article No: em2184

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/12559

Publication date: 19 Oct 2022

Article Views: 1813

Article Downloads: 942

Open Access References How to cite this article

References

Ababneh, E. G., & Abdel Samad, M. M. (2018). Gender gap in science achievement for Jordanian students in PISA 2015. European Journal of Educational Research, 7(4), 963-972. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.7.4.963
Abu-Hilal, M. (2005). Frames of reference model of self-concept and locus of control among a sample of Emirati school boys and girls. Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 21(2), 57-80.
Abu-Hilal, M., Aldhafri, S., Al-Kilani, H., Kazem, A., Al-Qaryouti, I., & Alkharusi, H. (2016). Factorial validity and reliability of teachers’ self-efficacy among Omani teachers: Invariance across gender. Journal of Educational & Psychological Sciences, 17(1), 610-624. https://doi.org/10.12785/JEPS/170120
Akben, N. (2020). Effects of the problem-posing approach on students’ problem solving skills and metacognitive awareness in science education. Research in Science Education, 50(3), 1143-1165. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-018-9726-7
Al -Harthy, I. (2016). Prediction accuracy: The role of feedback in 6th graders’ recall predictions. International Education Studies, 9(3), 212-216. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v9n3p212
Al-Balushi, S., Al-Harthy, I. & Almehrizi, R. (2022). Attention drifting away while test‑taking: Mind‑wandering in students with low and high‑performance levels in TIMSS‑like science tests. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-022-10258-6.
Aldhafri, S., & Alrajhi, M. (2014). The predictive role of teaching styles on Omani students’ mathematics motivation. International Education Studies, 7(6), 135-144. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v7n6p135
Al-Harthy, I., & Aldhafri, S. (2014). The relationship among task-value, self-efficacy and academic achievement in Omani students at Sultan Qaboos University. International Review of Social Sciences and Humanities, 7(2), 15-22.
Alkharusi, H. (2008). Effects of classroom assessment practices on students’ achievement goals. Educational Assessment, 13(4), 243-266. https://doi.org/10.1080/10627190802602509
Al-Mutawah, M., & Fateel, M. (2018). Students’ achievement in math and science: How grit and attitudes influence? International Education Studies, 11(2), 97-105. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v11n2p97
Alrajhi, M., Aldhafri, S., Alkharusi, H., Alharthy, I., Albarashdi, H., & Alhadabi, A. (2019). Grade and gender effects on self-concept development. The Open Psychology Journal, 12, 66-75. https://doi.org/10.2174/1874350101912010066
Ambusaidi, A. & Al-Farei, K. (2017). Investigating Omani science teachers’ attitudes towards teaching science: The role of gender and teaching experiences. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 15, 71-88. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-015-9684-8
Askin, O., & Oz, E. (2020). Cross-national comparisons of students’ science success based on gender variability: Evidence from TIMSS. Journal of Baltic Science Education, 19(2), 186-200. https://doi.org/10.33225/jbse/20.19.186
Aurah, C. M., Cassady, J. C., & McConnell, T. J. (2014). Genetics problem solving in high school testing in Kenya: Effects of metacognitive prompting during testing. Electronic Journal of Science Education, 18(8), 1-26.
Barry, A. (2019). Gender differences in academic achievement in Saudi Arabia: A wake-up call to educational leaders. International Journal of Education Policy & Leadership, 15(15), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.22230/ijepl.2019v15n15a890
Berger, N., Mackenzie, E., & Holmes, K. (2020). Positive attitudes towards mathematics and science are mutually beneficial for student achievement: a latent profile analysis of TIMSS 2015. The Australian Educational Researcher, 47, 409-444. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-020-00379-8
Bofah, E., & Hannula, M. (2015). TIMSS data in an African comparative perspective: Investigating the factors influencing achievement in mathematics and their psychometric properties. Large-scale Assessments in Education, 3, 4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40536-015-0014-y
Brunner, M., Lüdtke, O., & Trautwein, U. (2008). The internal/external frame of reference model revisited: Incorporating general cognitive ability and general academic self-concept. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 43(1), 137-172. https://doi.org/10.1080/00273170701836737
Casselman, B. L., & Atwood, C. H. (2017). Improving general chemistry course performance through online homework-based metacognitive training. Journal of Chemical Education, 94(12), 1811-1821. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.7b00298
Chiu, M.-S. (2008) Achievements and self-concepts in a comparison of math and science: Exploring the internal/external frame of reference model across 28 countries. Educational Research and Evaluation, 14(3), 235-254. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803610802048858
Dee, T. S. (2006). The why chromosome: How a teacher’s gender affects boys and girls. Education Next, 6(4), 68-75.
Dee, T. S. (2007). Teachers and the gender gaps in student achievement. Journal of Human Resources, 42(3), 528-554. https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.XLII.3.528
Desy, E., Peterson, S., & Brockman, V. (2011). Gender differences in science-related attitudes and interests among middle school and high school students. Science Educators, 20(2), 23-30. https://doi.org/10.1037/e617182010-001
Eccles, J. (2009). Who am I and what am I going to do with my life? Personal and collective identities as motivators of action. Educational Psychologist, 44(2), 78-89.https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520902832368
Eisenkopf, G., Hessami, Z., Fischbacher, U., & Ursprung, H.W. (2015). Academic performance and single-sex schooling: Evidence from a natural experiment in Switzerland. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 115, 123-143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2014.08.004
Geesa, R., Izci, B., Chen, S., & Song, H. (2020). The role of gender and attitudes toward science in fourth and eighth graders’ science achievement in South Korea, Turkey, and the United States. Journal of Research in Education, 29(2), 54-87.
Gestsdottir, S., von Suchodoletz, A., Wanless, S. B., Hubert, B., Guimard, P., Birgisdottir, F., Gunzenhauser, C., & McClelland, M. (2014). Early behavioral self-regulation, academic achievement, and gender: Longitudinal findings from France, Germany, and Iceland. Applied Developmental Science, 18(2), 90-109. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2014.894870
Gray, H., Lyth, A., McKenna, C., Stothard, S., Tymms, P. & Copping, L. (2019). Sex differences in variability across nations in reading, mathematics, and science: A meta-analytic extension of Baye and Monseur (2016). Large-Scale Assessment Education, 7(2), 1-29. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40536-019-0070-9
Hong, W., Bernacki, M. L., & Perera, H. N. (2020). A Latent profile analysis of undergraduates’ achievement motivations and metacognitive behaviors, and their relations to achievement in science. Journal of Educational Psychology, 112(7), 1409-1430. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000445
Kablan, Z., & Kaya, S. (2013). Science achievement in TIMSS cognitive domains based on learning styles. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 53, 97-114. ttps://doi.org/10.14689/ejer.2013.53.6
Khishfe, R., & BouJaoude, S. (2016). Lebanese students’ conceptions of and attitudes towards science and related careers based on their gender and religious affiliations. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 14, 145-167. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-014-9587-0
Kind, P., Jones, K., & Barmby, P. (2007). Developing attitudes towards science measures. International Journal of Science Education, 29(7), 871-893. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690600909091
Kingir, S., Tas, Y., Gok, G., & Vural, S. S. (2013). Relationships among constructivist learning environment perceptions, motivational beliefs, self-regulation and science achievement. Research in Science & Technological Education, 31(3), 205-226. https://doi.org/10.1080/02635143.2013.825594
Kurman, J. (2001). Self-regulation strategies in achievement settings: Culture and gender differences. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 32(4), 491-503. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022101032004008
Larkin, S. (2006). Collaborative group work and individual development of metacognition in the early years. Research in Science Education, 36(1-2), 7-27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-006-8147-1
Lee, J., Rhee, D.-E., & Rudolf, R. (2019). Teacher gender, student gender, and primary school achievement: Evidence from ten francophone African countries. The Journal of Development Studies, 55(4), 661-679. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2018.1453604
Lin, T., & Tsai, C. (2013). A multi-dimensional instrument for evaluating Taiwanese high school students’ science learning self-efficacy in relation to their approaches to learning science. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 11, 1275-1301. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-012-9376-6
Liou, P.-Y., & Bulut, O. (2020). The effects of item format and cognitive domain on students’ science performance in TIMSS 2011. Research in Science Education, 50(1), 99-121. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-017-9682-7
Marsh, H. (1986). Verbal and math self-concepts: An internal/external frame of reference model. American Educational Research Journal, 23, 129-149. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312023001129
Marsh, H. W., & Hau, K.-T. (2004). Explaining paradoxical relations between academic self-concepts and achievements: Cross-cultural generalizability of the internal/external frame of reference predictions across 26 countries. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96, 56-67. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.96.1.56
Martin, M. O., Mullis, I. V. S., & Hooper, M. (Eds.). (2016). Methods and procedures in TIMSS 2015. TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center.
Mata, M., Monteiro, V., & Peixoto, F. (2012). Attitudes towards mathematics: Effects of individual, motivational, and social support factors. Child Development Research, 2012, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/876028
Matthews, J. S., Ponitz, C. C., & Morrison, F. J. (2009). Early gender differences in self-regulation and academic achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101(3), 689-704. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014240
Meinck, S., & Brese, F. (2019). Trends in gender gaps: Using 20 years of evidence from TIMSS. Large-Scale Assessments in Education, 7, 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40536-019-0076-3
Mejía-Rodríguez, A., Luyten, H., & Meelissen, M. (2020). Gender differences in mathematics self-concept across the world: An exploration of student and parent data of TIMSS 2015. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 19, 1229-1250. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-020-10100-x
Ministry of Education and World Bank. (2012). Education in Oman: The drive for quality. The Ministry of Education, Oman. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000227402
Mullis, I., & Martin, M. (2017). TIMSS 2019 assessment framework. The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement.
Mullis, I., Martin, M., Foy, D., Kelly, D., & Fishbein, B. (2020). TIMSS 2019 International Results in Mathematics and Science. The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement.
Naidoo, J., & Sibanda, D. (2020). Examining science performance of South African grade 9 learners in TIMSS 2015 through a gender lens. South African Journal of Education, 40, S1-10. https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v40ns2a1717
National Center for Statistics and Information, Oman. (2020). Statistical yearbook 2020. https://www.ncsi.gov.om/Pages/NCSI.aspx
Ogunjuyigbe, P. O., Ojofeitimi, E. O., & Akinlo, A. (2006). Science education in Nigeria: An examination of peoples’ perceptions about female participation in science, mathematics, and technology. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 15(3), 277-284. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-006-9014-6
Oon, P-T., Cheng, M. M. W., & Wong, A. S. L. (2020). Gender differences in attitude towards science: Methodology for prioritizing contributing factors. International Journal of Science Education, 42(1), 89-112. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2019.1701217
Oyelekan, O. S., Jolayemi, S. S., & Upahi, J. E. (2019). Relationships among senior school students’ self-efficacy, metacognition, and their achievement in chemistry. Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences, 14(2), 208-221. https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v14i2.2564
Pavešić, B. (2008). Science achievement, gender differences, and experimental work in classes in Slovenia as evident in TIMSS studies. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 34(2), 94-104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2008.04.005
Perry, B. L., Link, T., Boelter, C., & Leukefeld, C. (2012). Blinded to science: Gender differences in the effects of race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status on academic and science attitudes among sixth graders. Gender and Education, 24(7), 725-743. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2012.685702
Pintrich, P. R., & de Groot, E. V. (1990). Motivational and self-regulated learning components of classroom academic performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(1), 33-40. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.82.1.33
Riegle-Crumb, C., Morton, K., Nguyen, U., & Dasgupta, N. (2019). Inquiry-based instruction in science and mathematics in middle school classrooms: Examining its association with students’ attitudes by gender and race/ethnicity. American Educational Research Association Open, 5(3), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858419867653
Schraw, G., & Dennison, R. S. (1994). Assessing metacognitive awareness. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 19(4), 460-475. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1994.1033
Schwery, D., Hulac, D., & Schweinle, A. (2016). Understanding the gender gap in mathematics achievement: The role of self-efficacy and stereotype threat. School Psychology Forum, 10(4), 386-396.
Smith, T. J., Pasero, S. L., & McKenna, C. M. (2014). Gender effects on student attitude toward science. Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 34(1-2), 7-12. https://doi.org/10.1177/0270467614542806
Thomson, S. (2008). Examining the evidence from TIMSS: Gender differences in year 8 science achievement in Australia. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 34(2), 73-81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2008.04.003
Tran, N., Schneider, S., Duran, L., Conley, A., Richland, L., Burchinal, M., Rutherford, T., Kibrick, M., Osborne, K., Coulson, A., Antenore, F., Daniels, A., & Martinez, M. (2012). The effects of mathematics instruction using spatial temporal cognition on teacher efficacy and instructional practices. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(2), 340-349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2011.10.003
Tsai, C.-C., Ho, H. N., Liang, J.-C., & Lin, H.-M. (2011). Scientific epistemic beliefs, conceptions of learning science and self-efficacy of learning science among high school students. Learning and Instruction, 21(6), 757-769. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2011.05.002
Tweissi, A., Ababneh, I., & Abu Lebdih, K., (2014). Gender gap in student achievement in Jordan study report monitoring & evaluation partnership (MEP) project. National Center for Human Resources Development and World Education. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281280418_Gender_Gap_in_Student_Achievement_in_Jordan_Study_Report
Vantieghem, W., Vermeersch, H., & Van Houtte, M. (2014). Transcending the gender dichotomy in educational gender gap research: The association between gender identity and academic self-efficacy. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 39(4), 369-378. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2014.10.001
Velayutham, S., & Aldridge, J. M. (2013). Influence of psychosocial classroom environment on students’ motivation and self-regulation in science learning: A structural equation modeling approach. Research in Science Education, 43(2), 507-527.‏ https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-011-9273-y
Wan, Z. H. (2021). Exploring the effects of intrinsic motive, utilitarian motive, and self-efficacy on students’ science learning in the classroom using the expectancy-value theory. Research in Science Education, 51(3), 647-659. https://doi-org.uoelibrary.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s11165-018-9811-y
Wang, J. R., & Chen, S. F. (2014). Exploring mediating effect of metacognitive awareness on comprehension of science texts through structural equation modeling analysis. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 51(2), 175-191. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21131
Wang, J. R., Chen, S. F., Fang, I., & Chou, C-T. (2014). Comparison of Taiwanese and Canadian students’ metacognitive awareness of science reading, text, and strategies. International Journal of Science Education, 36(4), 693-713. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2013.826841
Williams, K. E., White, S. L., & MacDonald, A. (2016). Early mathematics achievement of boys and girls: Do differences in early self-regulation pathways explain later achievement? Learning and Individual Differences, 51, 199-209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2016.09.006
Yoo, Y. (2018). Modelling of factors influencing gender difference in mathematics achievement using TIMSS 2011 data for Singaporean eighth grade students. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 38(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2017.1334626
Zheng, J., Xing, W., Zhu, G., Chen, G., Zhao, H., & Xie, C. (2020). Profiling self-regulation behaviors in STEM learning of engineering design. Computers & Education, 143, 103699. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103669

How to cite this article

APA

Al-Balushi, S. M., Mansour, N., Almehrizi, R. S., Ambusaidi, A. K., & Al-Harthy, I. S. (2022). The association between the gender gap in science achievement and students’ perceptions of their own attitudes and capabilities. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 18(11), em2184. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/12559

Vancouver

Al-Balushi SM, Mansour N, Almehrizi RS, Ambusaidi AK, Al-Harthy IS. The association between the gender gap in science achievement and students’ perceptions of their own attitudes and capabilities. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2022;18(11):em2184. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/12559

AMA

Al-Balushi SM, Mansour N, Almehrizi RS, Ambusaidi AK, Al-Harthy IS. The association between the gender gap in science achievement and students’ perceptions of their own attitudes and capabilities. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2022;18(11), em2184. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/12559

Chicago

Al-Balushi, Sulaiman M., Nasser Mansour, Rashid S. Almehrizi, Abdullah K. Ambusaidi, and Ibrahim S. Al-Harthy. "The association between the gender gap in science achievement and students’ perceptions of their own attitudes and capabilities". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 2022 18 no. 11 (2022): em2184. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/12559

Harvard

Al-Balushi, S. M., Mansour, N., Almehrizi, R. S., Ambusaidi, A. K., and Al-Harthy, I. S. (2022). The association between the gender gap in science achievement and students’ perceptions of their own attitudes and capabilities. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 18(11), em2184. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/12559

MLA

Al-Balushi, Sulaiman M. et al. "The association between the gender gap in science achievement and students’ perceptions of their own attitudes and capabilities". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, vol. 18, no. 11, 2022, em2184. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/12559