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In this replication study, we examined gender differences in students’ math competence-related beliefs from 9th to 12th grade and tested gender differences within four racial/ethnic groups. In order to test the potential historical changes in these patterns and to counteract the replication crisis in psychology, this study employed six U.S. datasets collected from the 1980s to 2010s. Using a total sample of 24,290 students (49.5% male students; 11% African-, 9% Asian-; 30% Latinx- and 50% European-Americans), we found gender differences in students’ math competence-related beliefs favoring boys at all grade levels. By comparing effect sizes across datasets, we found no evidence that these gender differences varied by dataset or by historical time. The results across race/ethnicity with a subsample of 23,070 students indicated meaningful gender differences in students’ math competence-related beliefs favoring boys at all grade levels among Asian-, European-, and Latinx-Americans, but not among African-Americans where differences favored girls in 12th grade. Overall, our findings provide no evidence of historical changes concerning gender differences in students’ math competence-related beliefs across datasets. Our findings illustrate the importance of replicating empirical findings across datasets and using an intersectional lens to investigate math motivation.
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This content will become publicly available on January 1, 2026
Are students’ math and verbal motivational beliefs malleable? The role of praise in dimensional comparisons
To determine their academic strengths and weaknesses, students compare their own performance across domains (e.g., math versus English), a process referred to as dimensional comparisons. For example, individuals’ higher-scoring English performance may negatively affect their math motivational beliefs (competence self-concepts and intrinsic values), resulting in favoritism toward English. Students’ motivation can also be affected by praise from adults. However, praise in one domain (e.g., English) may have unexpected negative effects on motivation in the contrasting domain (e.g., math) through dimensional comparisons. We experimentally investigated the impact of receiving praise in only one domain on students’ domain-specific motivational beliefs. We hypothesized that students would have higher motivational beliefs in the praised domain and lower motivational beliefs in the non-praised domain compared to students who received no praise. Seventh-to-9th-graders (10-15-year-olds; N=108; 46 girls; 92 living in the U.S.; 84.8% White, 2.9% Asian or Asian American, 2.9% Black or African American, 9.5% multiple races; parents’ education range: 13-18 years) showed heightened verbal competence self-concepts after receiving praise on either verbal or math performance. College students (first-to-5th-year; N=109; 89 females; 105 living in the U.S.; 58.9% White, 21.5% Asian or Asian American, 10.3% Black or African American, 5.6% multiple races, 3.7% other races) showed higher verbal intrinsic values after receiving praise on verbal performance. Results supported positive effects of praise in the verbal domain only and were inconsistent with the predicted negative effects on the non-praised domain. We suggest that students’ verbal motivational beliefs are more malleable than math beliefs when receiving disproportionate praise.
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- PAR ID:
- 10572661
- Publisher / Repository:
- Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
- Volume:
- 249
- Issue:
- C
- ISSN:
- 0022-0965
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 106100
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- dimensional comparisons, praise, competence self-concepts, intrinsic values
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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