Maths anxiety predicted STEM career choice in males but not females, although the sex difference itself was not statistically significant¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associationalr3·q3
Currency · newest study 2024 · 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
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This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i? Maths anxiety was an independent predictor in the unadjusted male model (OR = 0.62) but not the unadjusted female model (OR = 0.88); a Wald test showed the sex difference was not significant. → Ferdinand 2024
Evidence¶
Ferdinand 2024¶
Ferdinand, R., Malanchini, M. & Rimfeld, K. (2024). Mathematics interest, self-efficacy, and anxiety predict STEM career choice in emerging adulthood. npj Science of Learning. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-024-00275-1
q3 · i? · associational · r3
Sex-stratified logistic regressions in TEDS. The article reports unadjusted male OR = 0.62 [0.42, 0.89] vs female OR = 0.88 [0.67, 1.16]; the Wald test (X2 = 2.26, p = 0.13) indicates the difference between sexes was not significant.
"A Wald Chi-square test showed that maths anxiety was not a signi ficantly better pre- dictor of STEM career choice in the male sample than in the female sample (X2 = 2.26, p = 0.13)"
Discussion¶
Learner Variables¶
- Academic Anxiety — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
- Gender — moderator: an instructional effect differs by group
Related Claims¶
- Males were more than 2.5 times as likely as females to make a STEM career choice in the TEDS sample — related
- Maths anxiety did not independently predict STEM career choice once maths achievement was controlled, though it predicted in the unadjusted joint model — related
- Maths self-efficacy predicted STEM career choice in females but not males, though the association was explained by maths achievement after adjustment — related
- Female participants reported significantly higher maths anxiety and general anxiety, while males reported higher maths self-efficacy and maths interest — 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 — related
- Maths interest in adolescence is a significant independent predictor of STEM career choice in emerging adulthood, for both males and females, including after adjusting for maths achievement and SES — related
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