GENDER-SPECIFIC EXPECTANCIES IN ELEMENTAR Y-SCHOOL MATHEMATICS

Fifty-two third and fourth grade teachers were asked to consider boys' and girls' performance in mathematics, giving their views on the reas ons for the pupils' successes and failures and describing their learni ng characteristics. The girls and boys included low, average and high achievers in mathematics. Teachers thought that their low and average achieving girls were less logical than equally achieving boys. The gir ls were thought to profit less than boys from additional effort and to exert relatively more effort to achieve the level of actual performan ce in mathematics. Teachers rated mathematics as more difficult for av erage achieving girls than for equally achieving boys. With regard to girls, teachers attributed unexpected failure more to low ability and less to lack of effort than with boys. Low achieving girls were expect ed to do less well in future in mathematics than low achieving boys. T eachers were aware of the girls' lower self-concept of mathematical ab ility. The results increase our understanding of stereotypical teacher expectations that might explain gender differences in performance and in subsequent occupational choices.