Math And Science: What Teachers Tell Young Women Influences Their Career

First Posted: Feb 26, 2015 11:35 AM EST
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Even in modern-day society, women are vastly underrepresented in the fields of engineering, computer science and mathematics. 

Findings published in the journal National Bureau of Economic Research show that an elementary school Teacher's unconscious biases can significantly influence whether many young girls will pursue a career in math in the future.

"It isn't an issue of discrimination but of unconscious discouragement," said Dr. Edith Sand, an economist at the Bank of Israel and an instructor at TAU's Berglas School of Economics, in a news release. "This discouragement, however, has implications. The track to computer science and engineering fields, which report some of the highest salaries, tapers off in elementary school."

For the study, researchers examined three groups of students in Israel from the sixth grade through the end of high school. The students were given two exams: the first were graded by objective scorers who did not know their names and the second by instructors who did know them.

The results were rather surprising when it came to scoring the tests. Findings revealed that the girls outscored the boys in math on the test that was scored anonymously, but when graded by teachers who were familiar with their names, the boys outscored the girls. The effect was not the same for tests in non-math or science-related subjects.

The teachers were much more likely to overestimate the boys' skills and underestimate the girls' ones in math and science, which could prevent their likelihood of participating in careers involving math.

"If teachers take into account these effects, it could lead to a reduction of the gender gap in achievement, especially in science and math," said Dr. Sand. "It is clear how important encouragement is for both boys and girls in all their subjects. Teachers play a critical role in lowering and raising the confidence levels of their students, which has serious implications for their futures."

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