Sex Differences in the Association between Secondary School Students' Attitudes toward Mathematics and toward Computers

Abstract

Sex differences in the positive association between attitudes toward mathematics and attitudes toward computers were examined in 1 018 Grade 8 students and 800 Grade 12 students. The female students were more likely than the male students to associate negative attitudes toward mathematics with negative attitudes toward computers. Participation in an eighth-grade mathematics course with a computer component was associated with positive attitudes toward computers for males but not for females. The integration of computer experiences with mathematics instruction may require some caution to yield more positive attitudes toward mathematics and computers from secondary school females.