What Research Says About…
Tracey A. Huebner
Encouraging Girls
to Pursue Math and Science
In spite of progress in recent decades, fewer females than males pursue careers in physical sciences, engineering, and computer science
(Halpern et al., 2007). When female students opt
out of these subjects, they shut the door to a
growing job market—and society loses needed
mathematicians and scientists. What does
research tell us about promising ways to boost
female students’ interest in math and science?
What We Know
Research shows that the achievement gap in mathematics between
boys and girls has all but disappeared. A recent study by Hyde and
Mertz (2009) examined mandated
tests in 10 states as well as National
Assessment of Educational Progress
data. Differences in achievement
between boys and girls in these 10
states across all grades were
insignificant. Yet, in spite of girls’
increased levels of achievement in
these subjects, they still are not making their way
into careers in math and science.
Recent studies have refuted claims that there is
an innate difference in abilities between the
sexes; instead, these studies suggest that the
smaller proportions of girls pursuing careers in
math and science in the United States may be
caused by cultural differences and expectations
(University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2009). A
longitudinal study on children’s beliefs about
academic competency found that, beginning at
an early age, girls rate their math ability lower
than boys do, even when no actual difference in
math achievement exists (Herbert & Stipek,
2005). This is an important finding because
students with more confidence in their math and
science abilities are more likely to excel in these
subjects and pursue coursework and careers in
these fields (Simpkins & Davis-Kean, 2005).
These findings suggest that one key to
preparing all students for the 21st century is
addressing girls’ perceptions of their abilities,
also referred to as self-efficacy. Halpern and
colleagues (2007) summarize research on various
strategies for encouraging girls in math and
science. Three strategies related to self-efficacy
that have some degree of research support are
Constructive, specific
feedback is valuable for
all students, but it has
particular value for girls.
( 1) teaching students that academic abilities are
not fixed, but expandable and improvable, ( 2)
exposing girls to female role models who have
succeeded in math and science, and ( 3)
providing informational feedback. Let’s look at
this third strategy in more depth.
A number of experimental studies have found
that student confidence in math improves when
teachers provide prescriptive, informational feedback. Such feedback praises effort, identifies how
the student has erred in problem solving, or
points out how the student has improved in his
or her use of specific strategies (Turner et al.,
2002). To provide informational feedback,
teachers need to use ongoing formative assessments (such as conversation, homework, and
quizzes) that identify students’ strengths and
weaknesses in mastering content in real time.
Although this finding seems like common
sense, research shows that teachers are not
providing enough of this kind of targeted feed-
