Girls started lower in math self-concept and interest than boys, and the L1 self-concept gender gap widened over Grades 7–9¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2023 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

Reading the evidence codes

q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.

This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.

q2 i? Girls' initial math self-concept and interest were significantly lower than boys', with no significant slope differences in math. → Anna Widlund 2023 q2 i? Girls showed a significantly more positive L1 self-concept slope and higher L1 interest intercept than boys. → Anna Widlund 2023

Evidence¶

Anna Widlund 2023¶

Anna Widlund, Markku Niemivirta, Heta Tuominen, Johan Korhonen. (2023). Growth Trajectories of Self-Concept and Interest in Mathematics and Language – Individual Differences and Cross-Domain Relations. Preprint version 1. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5563-5044

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Multiple-group growth model (N = 612) compared boys and girls; Wald tests showed "girls' initial levels of mathematics self-concept (𝑥2 = 44.518, p < 0.01) and interest (𝑥2 = 15.345, p < 0.01) were significantly lower than for boys"; L1 self-concept slope (𝑥2 = 6.376) and L1 interest intercept (𝑥2 = 9.399) favored girls. No effect sizes printed.

"The Wald test revealed that girls' initial levels of mathematics self-concept (𝑥2 = 44.518, p < 0.01) and interest (𝑥2 = 15.345, p < 0.01) were significantly lower than for boys, but there were no significant differences in the slopes of either self-concept or interest in math."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

Gender — predictor: outcomes differ by group: a gap reflecting circumstances and treatment, not a cause
Interest — outcome: instruction changes it

Negative cross-domain relations between math and L1 motivation were far more prevalent among girls than boys — related
Girls show less confidence and interest in math and science from early adolescence, and a strong math/science self-concept predicts course choice and performance for both genders — a broader claim this one bears on

Page metadata

Field	Value
`type`	`claim`
`id`	`gender-gaps-math-lower-l1-slope-favors-girls`
`title`	`Girls started lower in math self-concept and interest than boys, and the L1 self-concept gender gap widened over Grades 7–9`
`description`	`Girls started lower in math self-concept and interest than boys, and the L1 self-concept gender gap widened over Grades 7–9`
`status`	`review`
`evidence_strength`	`moderate`
`newest_evidence`	`2023`
`generated`	by `process:wiki-ingest` on `2026-10-23`
`trust`	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
`sources`	1 — `anna-widlund-2023`

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