Parental Differential Treatment With Math: Links to Adolescent Girls' Math Achievement Beliefs

This cross-sectional study examined how parental differential treatment (PDT) in the academic context, particularly for gender-stereotyped domains of math and English relates to adolescent girls' achievement beliefs in these subjects. Participants included 124 female adolescents (mean age = 12 years), their siblings (mean age difference = 2.35 years) and parents, with individual surveys completed by each participant. Findings indicated that fathers' ability stereotypes are positively linked to their differential intrusive support with math. However, girls' achievement beliefs, particularly in math, are linked to mothers' differential intrusive support. Specifically, more intrusive support towards adolescent girls is linked to girls reporting lower ability perceptions, task-value and intrinsic value in math. Additionally, adolescent girls with younger siblings report lower intrinsic value for math when mothers engage in differential intrusive support towards target females. This occurred even after controlling for mothers' perceptions of adolescent girls' math ability. With respect to English, mothers' differential intrusive support relates only to girls' task-value beliefs. Findings reinforce the importance of parents' behaviors in stereotypic male domains, and how adolescent girls may be particularly sensitive to those behaviors within the family context.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Human and Community Development

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Bhanot, Ruchi Tirumala

Contributors dc:contributor

• Jasna Jovanovic

• Education, Mathematics

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI3269840

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/87193