Girls' likelihood of majoring in PEMC is 3.1 times greater at the highest versus lowest value of 12th grade perceived mathematics ability under challenge (5.6% vs. 1.8%)¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associationalr2·q3
Currency · newest study 2017 · 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.
q3 i? Among 12th grade girls, predicted probabilities of declaring a PEMC major rose from 1.8% at the most negative to 5.6% at the most positive perceptions of mathematics ability under challenge, all else equal — a 3.1-fold difference. → Perez-Felkner L 2017
Evidence¶
Perez-Felkner L 2017¶
Perez-Felkner L, Nix S and Thomas K (2017) Gendered Pathways: How Mathematics Ability Beliefs Shape Secondary and Postsecondary Course and Degree Field Choices. Front. Psychol. 8:386. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00386
q3 · i? · associational · r2
Multinomial logistic regression models of specific major choice used predicted probabilities (Stata 14 margins commands) for girls at the 75th percentile of observed 10th grade mathematics ability, with other predictors at sample means. Similar smaller effects appeared for 10th grade perceived ability (1.8 to 5.5%) and growth mindset (1.9 to 4.5%).
"12th grade girls with the most negative perceptions had a 1.8% chance of choosing PEMC majors; those girls with the most positive perceptions of their mathematics ability under challenge had a 5.6% chance, all e lse being equal."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Boys rate their mathematics ability under challenge significantly higher than girls at every level of observed mathematics ability, including the highest (p < 0.001) — related
- Men have a 3.60 times higher risk than women of majoring in PEMC sciences and a 0.74 times lower risk of majoring in health fields, with predicted PEMC probabilities of 14.9% for men versus 4.7% for women — related
- Growth mindset interacts with gender for health major choice — men's chances decline 3.9 percentage points per unit increase — but no gender difference appears in how ability beliefs influence PEMC major choice — related
- A one standard deviation increase in 10th grade perceived mathematics ability under challenge corresponds to a 1.62 times higher risk of staying in the natural sciences rather than never entering these fields in college — related
- Tenth grade perceived mathematics ability under challenge is the most influential predictor of advanced high school science course completion, and girls have 24.0% lower odds than boys of completing the most advanced science courses — related
- Women tend to shy away from competition, contributing to gender gaps in math-related educational choices — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
girls-pemc-major-chances-triple-with-ability-under-challenge |
title |
Girls' likelihood of majoring in PEMC is 3.1 times greater at the highest versus lowest value of 12th grade perceived mathematics ability under challenge (5.6% vs. 1.8%) |
description |
Girls' likelihood of majoring in PEMC is 3.1 times greater at the highest versus lowest value of 12th grade perceived mathematics ability under challenge (5.6% vs. |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2017 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-17 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — perez-felkner-l-2017 |
Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.