Sex differences in achievement goals: Do school subjects matter?

• Autores: Linda Wirthwein, Jörn R. Sparfeldt, Anke Heyder, Susanne R. Buch, Detlef H. Rost, Ricarda Steinmayr
• Localización: European journal of psychology of education, ISSN-e 1878-5174, ISSN 0256-2928, Vol. 35, Nº 2, 2020, págs. 403-427
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.1007/s10212-019-00427-7
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Many studies have already found differences between male and female students in various motivational variables. With regard to the stereotypes associated to different school subjects, boys usually are more motivated in math or sciences whereas girls score higher in verbal subjects such as languages. Studies investigating sex differences in achievement goals have yielded conflicting results. Furthermore, studies are rare that investigate sex differences in achievement goals in different domains. Therefore, we analyzed sex differences by focusing on achievement goals for school in general and six different school subjects (math, German, English, physics, history, chemistry). Two different samples of high school students were investigated in two studies (N1 = 425; N2 = 1210). As a prerequisite for examining latent mean differences, the measurement invariance of the questionnaire assessing achievement goals for males and females was supported in both studies. Girls showed significantly higher mastery goals in German and English, whereas boys revealed higher mastery goals in math and physics. Boys had significantly higher mean performance-approach goals in math, physics, history, and chemistry. Furthermore, boys had higher performance-avoidance goals in math and physics. They also showed significantly higher work-avoidance goals in German, English, and regarding school in general. These results were mainly in line with psychological models on the role of students’ gender-related identity. Students are particularly motivated in school subjects they perceive as stereotypically compatible with their own gender.

• Referencias bibliográficas
  • Allison, P. D. (2001). Missing data. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
  • Arbuckle, J. L. (2017). AMOS 25.0 User’s Guide. Chicago: IBM SPSS.
  • Baranik, L. E., Barron, K. E., & Finney, S. J. (2010). Examining specific versus general measures of achievement goals. Human Performance,...
  • Browne, M. W., & Cudeck, R. (1993). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In K. A. Bollen & J. S. Long (Eds.), Testing structural...
  • Byrne, B. M. (2010). Structural equation modeling with AMOS (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.
  • Chatard, A., Guimond, S., & Selimbegovic, L. (2007). “How good are you in math?” The effect of gender stereotypes on students’ recollection...
  • Chen, F. (2007). Sensitivity of goodness of fit indexes to lack of measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling, 14(3), 464–504.
  • Cheung, G. W., & Rensvold, R. B. (2002). Evaluating goodness-of-fit indexes for testing measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling,...
  • Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale: Erlbaum.
  • Crouzevialle, M., & Butera, F. (2013). Performance-approach goals deplete working memory and impair cognitive performance. Journal of...
  • Darnon, C., Dompnier, B., Delmas, F., Pulfrey, C., & Butera, F. (2009). Achievement goal promotion at university: social desirability...
  • Dompnier, B., Darnon, C., Meier, E., Brandner, C., Smeding, A., & Butera, F. (2015). Improving low achievers’ academic performance at...
  • Dowson, M., McInerney, D. M., & Nelson, G. F. (2006). An investigation of the effects of school context and gender differences on students’...
  • Duckworth, A. L., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2006). Self-discipline gives girls the edge: gender in self-discipline, grades, and achievement...
  • Duda, J. L., & Nicholls, J. G. (1992). Dimensions of academic motivation in school work and sport. Journal of Educational Psychology,...
  • Dweck, C. S. (1986). Motivational processes affecting learning. American Psychologist, 41(10), 1040–1048.
  • Dweck, C. S. (1999). Self-theories: their role in motivation, personality, and development. Philadelphia: Psychology Press.
  • Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (2002). Motivational beliefs, values, and goals. Annual Review of Psychology, 53(1), 109–132.
  • Elliot, A. J. (1999). Approach and avoidance motivation and achievement goals. Educational Psychologist, 34(3), 169–189.
  • Elliot, A. J. (2005). A conceptual history of the achievement goal construct. In A. J. Elliot & C. S. Dweck (Eds.), Handbook of competence...
  • Elliot, A. J., & Church, M. A. (1997). A hierarchical model of approach and avoidance achievement motivation. Journal of Personality and...
  • Elliot, A. J., & McGregor, H. A. (2001). A 2×2 achievement goal framework. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80(3), 501–519.
  • Elliot, A. J., & Moller, A. C. (2003). Performance-approach goals: good or bad forms of regulation? International Journal of Educational...
  • Elliot, A. J., & Murayama, K. (2008). On the measurement of achievement goals: critique, illustration, and application. Journal of Educational...
  • Elmore, K. C., & Oyserman, D. (2012). If ‘we’ can succeed, ‘I’ can too: identity-based motivation and gender in the classroom. Contemporary...
  • Else-Quest, N. M., Hyde, J. S., & Linn, M. C. (2010). Cross-national patterns of gender differences in mathematics: a meta-analysis. Psychological...
  • Freudenthaler, H. H., Spinath, B., & Neubauer, A. C. (2008). Predicting school achievement in boys and girls. European Journal of Personality,...
  • Friedel, J. M., Cortina, K. S., Turner, J. C., & Midgley, C. (2010). Changes in efficacy beliefs in mathematics across the transition...
  • Gaspard, H., Dicke, A.-L., Flunger, B., Brisson, B. M., Häfner, I., Nagengast, B., & Trautwein, U. (2015). Fostering adolescents’ value...
  • Grant, H., & Dweck, C. S. (2003). Clarifying achievement goals and their impact. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(3),...
  • Halpern, D. F., Benbow, C. P., Geary, D. C., Gur, R. C., Hyde, J. S., & Gernsbacher, M. A. (2007). The science of gender differences in...
  • Heyder, A., & Kessels, U. (2013). Is school feminine? Implicit gender stereotyping of school as a predictor of academic achievement. Sex...
  • Heyder, A., & Kessels, U. (2017). Boys don’t work? On the psychological benefits of showing low effort in high school. Sex Roles, 77,...
  • Hu, L. T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: conventional criteria versus new...
  • Hulleman, C. S., Schrager, S. M., Bodmann, S. M., & Harackiewicz, J. M. (2010). A meta-analytic review of achievement goal measures: different...
  • Hyde, S. J., & Durik, M. A. (2005). Gender, competence, and motivation. In A. J. Elliot & C. S. Dweck (Eds.), Competence and motivation...
  • Ingles, C. J., Marzo, J. C., Castejon, J. L., Nunez, J. C., Valle, A., Garcia-Fernandez, J. M., & Delgado, B. (2011). Factorial invariance...
  • Jackson, C. (2003). Motives for ‘laddishness’ at school: fear of failure and fear of the ‘feminine’. British Educational Research Journal,...
  • Kerger, S., Martin, R., & Brunner, M. (2011). How can we enhance girls´ interest in scientific topics? British Journal of Educational...
  • Kessels, U., & Heyder, A. (2017). Die Wertschätzung schulischer Anstrengung als mediator von Geschlechtsunterschieden in Noten [personal...
  • Kessels, U., Heyder, A., Latsch, M., & Hannover, B. (2014). How gender differences in academic engagement relate to students’ gender identity....
  • King, R. B., & McInerney, D. M. (2014). The work avoidance goal construct: examining its structure, antecedents, and consequences. Contemporary...
  • Kline, R. B. (2005). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
  • Koul, R., Roy, L., & Lerdpornkulrat, T. (2012). Motivational goal orientation, perceptions of biology and physics classroom learning environments,...
  • Kultusministerkonferenz (2013). Belegte Grund- und Leistungskurse in der gymnasialen Oberstufe: Schuljahr 2012/2013 [Basic courses and advanced...
  • Lam, S.-F., Jimerson, S., Kikas, E., Cefai, C., Veiga, F. H., Nelson, B., Hatzichristou, C., Polychroni, F., Basnett, J., Duck, R., Farrell,...
  • Lindberg, S. M., Hyde, J. S., Petersen, J. L., & Linn, M. C. (2010). New trends in gender and mathematics performance: a meta-analysis....
  • Marsh, H. W., Trautwein, U., Lüdtke, O., Köller, O., & Baumert, J. (2005). Academic self-concept, interest, grades, and standardized test...
  • Martin, A. J. (2004). School motivation of boys and girls: differences of degrees, differences of kind, or both? Australian Journal of Psychology,...
  • Meece, J. L., Anderman, E. M., & Anderman, L. H. (2006a). Classroom goal structure, student motivation, and academic achievement. Annual...
  • Meece, J. L., Glienke, B. B., & Burg, S. (2006b). Gender and motivation. Journal of School Psychology, 44(5), 351–373.
  • Middleton, M. J., & Midgley, C. (1997). Avoiding the demonstration of lack of ability: an underexplored aspect of goal theory. Journal...
  • Midgley, C., Kaplan, A., & Middleton, M. (2001). Performance-approach goals: good for what, for whom, under what circumstances, and at...
  • Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (1998–2010). Mplus user’s guide (4th ed.). Los Angeles: Muthén & Muthén.
  • Nagy, G., Trautwein, U., Baumert, J., Köller, O., & Garrett, J. (2006). Gender and course selection in upper secondary education: effects...
  • Nicholls, J. G. (1984). Achievement motivation: conceptions of ability, subjective experience, task choice, and performance. Psychological...
  • Nosek, B. A., & Smyth, F. L. (2011). Implicit social cognitions predict sex differences in math engagement and achievement. American Educational...
  • Pajares, F., Britner, S. L., & Valiante, G. (2000). Relation between achievement goals and self-beliefs of middle school students in writing...
  • Pekrun, R., Elliot, A. J., & Maier, M. A. (2006). Achievement goals and discrete achievement emotions: a theoretical model and prospective...
  • Rost, D. H., & Sparfeldt, J. (2002). Facetten des schulischen Selbstkonzepts. Ein Verfahren zur Messung des differentiellen Selbstkonzepts...
  • Ryan, A. M., Shim, S. S., Lampkins-uThando, S. A., Kiefer, S. M., & Thompson, G. N. (2009). Do gender differences in help avoidance vary...
  • Sass, D. (2011). Testing measurement invariance and comparing latent factor means within a confirmatory factor analysis framework. Journal...
  • Schilling, S. R., Sparfeldt, J. R., & Rost, D. H. (2006). Facetten schulischen Selbstkonzepts: Welchen Unterschied macht das Geschlecht?...
  • Senko, C., & Dawson, B. (2017). Performance-approach goal effects depend on how they are defined: meta-analytic evidence from multiple...
  • Senko, C., & Tropiano, K. L. (2016). Comparing three models of achievement goals: goal orientations, goal standards, and goal complexes....
  • Senko, C., Hulleman, C. S., & Harackiewicz, J. M. (2011). Achievement goal theory at the crossroads: old controversies, current challenges,...
  • Sins, P. H. M., van Joolingen, W. R., Savelsbergh, E. R., & van Hout-Wolters, B. (2008). Motivation and performance within a collaborative...
  • Skaalvik, S., & Skaalvik, E. M. (2004). Gender differences in math and verbal self-concept, performance expectations, and motivation....
  • Sparfeldt, J. R., Schilling, S. R., Rost, D. H., & Thiel, A. (2006). Blocked versus randomized format of questionnaires: A confirmatory...
  • Spinath, B., & Steinmayr, R. (2012). The roles of competence beliefs and goal orientations for the change in intrinsic motivation. Journal...
  • Sparfeldt, J. R., Buch, S. R., Wirthwein, L., & Rost, D. H. (2007). Zielorientierungen: Zur Relevanz der Schulfächer [goal orientations:...
  • Spinath, B., Stiensmeier-Pelster, J., Schöne, C., & Dickhäuser, O. (2002). Skalen zur Erfassung der Lern- und Leistungsmotivation – SELLMO....
  • Steenkamp, J. B., & Baumgartner, H. (1998). Assessing measurement invariance in cross-national consumer research. Journal of Consumer...
  • Steffens, M. C., & Jelenec, P. (2011). Separating implicit gender stereotypes regarding math and language: implicit ability stereotypes...
  • Steffens, M. C., Jelenec, P., & Noack, P. (2010). On the leaky math pipeline: comparing implicit math-gender stereotypes and math withdrawal...
  • Steinmayr, R., & Spinath, B. (2008). Gender differences in school achievement: What are the roles of personality and achievement motivation....
  • Steinmayr, R., & Spinath, B. (2009). The importance of motivation as a predictor of school achievement. Learning and Individual Differences,...
  • Steinmayr, R., Bipp, T., & Spinath, B. (2011). Goal orientations predict academic performance beyond intelligence and personality. Learning...
  • Theis, D., & Fischer, N. (2017). Sex differences in the development of achievement goals in middle school. Learning and Individual Differences,...
  • Voyer, D., & Voyer, S. D. (2014). Gender differences in scholastic achievement: a meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 140(4), 1174–1204.
  • Wang, M.-T., & Degol, J. L. (2017). Gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM): current knowledge, implications...
  • Watt, H. (2004). Development of adolescents’ self-perceptions, values, and task perceptions according to gender and domain in 7th- through...
  • Wigfield, A., & Wagner, A. L. (2005). Competence, motivation, and identity development during adolescence. In A. J. Elliot & C. S....
  • Wirthwein, L., Sparfeldt, J. R., Pinquart, M., Wegerer, J., & Steinmayr, R. (2013). Achievement goals and academic achievement: A closer...