Math Is Not for Girl? Investigating the Impact of e-Learning Platforms on the Development of Growth Mindsets in Elementary Classrooms

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education research indicates a gender gap in how students perceive their mathematical ability. Even when there are no gender disparities in math achievement, girls tend to have lower expectations of success and lower self-reported proficiency i...

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Main Authors: Valeriya Ershova, Iuliia Gerasimova, Anastasia Kapuza
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) 2021-09-01
Series:Вопросы образования
Subjects:
Online Access:https://vo.hse.ru/article/view/15831
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author Valeriya Ershova
Iuliia Gerasimova
Anastasia Kapuza
author_facet Valeriya Ershova
Iuliia Gerasimova
Anastasia Kapuza
author_sort Valeriya Ershova
collection DOAJ
description Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education research indicates a gender gap in how students perceive their mathematical ability. Even when there are no gender disparities in math achievement, girls tend to have lower expectations of success and lower self-reported proficiency in the subject than boys. Empirical findings show that development of growth mindset could bridge the gender gap in students’ perceptions of their mathematical ability and enhance girls’ interest in math. Formative feedback is one of the possible tools to foster the development of growth mindsets. This study investigates the impact of an e-learning platform with automated feedback on the development of growth mindsets in elementary school children. Empirical data was collected during an experiment which involved 6,300 third grade students from 343 regional schools in Russia. Statistically significant differences were revealed between students in the control group and those who used the e-learning platform (experimental group). However, the effects of using the platform were significantly lower for girls than boys. The results obtained in this study point to the great potential of e-learning platforms with instant feedback in fostering growth mindsets in mathematics among elementary school children. Furthermore, it appears vital to integrate tailored feedback for boys and girls to mitigate gender differences in school math education.
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spelling doaj.art-21701ebc066d410b95de8ea4764617002023-02-14T12:05:12ZengNational Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE)Вопросы образования1814-95452412-43542021-09-0139111310.17323/1814-9545-2021-3-91-11315831Math Is Not for Girl? Investigating the Impact of e-Learning Platforms on the Development of Growth Mindsets in Elementary ClassroomsValeriya Ershova0Iuliia Gerasimova1Anastasia Kapuza2HSE UniversityHSE UniversityHSE UniversityScience, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education research indicates a gender gap in how students perceive their mathematical ability. Even when there are no gender disparities in math achievement, girls tend to have lower expectations of success and lower self-reported proficiency in the subject than boys. Empirical findings show that development of growth mindset could bridge the gender gap in students’ perceptions of their mathematical ability and enhance girls’ interest in math. Formative feedback is one of the possible tools to foster the development of growth mindsets. This study investigates the impact of an e-learning platform with automated feedback on the development of growth mindsets in elementary school children. Empirical data was collected during an experiment which involved 6,300 third grade students from 343 regional schools in Russia. Statistically significant differences were revealed between students in the control group and those who used the e-learning platform (experimental group). However, the effects of using the platform were significantly lower for girls than boys. The results obtained in this study point to the great potential of e-learning platforms with instant feedback in fostering growth mindsets in mathematics among elementary school children. Furthermore, it appears vital to integrate tailored feedback for boys and girls to mitigate gender differences in school math education.https://vo.hse.ru/article/view/15831gender gapmathematicsfeedbacke-learning platformgrowth mindset
spellingShingle Valeriya Ershova
Iuliia Gerasimova
Anastasia Kapuza
Math Is Not for Girl? Investigating the Impact of e-Learning Platforms on the Development of Growth Mindsets in Elementary Classrooms
Вопросы образования
gender gap
mathematics
feedback
e-learning platform
growth mindset
title Math Is Not for Girl? Investigating the Impact of e-Learning Platforms on the Development of Growth Mindsets in Elementary Classrooms
title_full Math Is Not for Girl? Investigating the Impact of e-Learning Platforms on the Development of Growth Mindsets in Elementary Classrooms
title_fullStr Math Is Not for Girl? Investigating the Impact of e-Learning Platforms on the Development of Growth Mindsets in Elementary Classrooms
title_full_unstemmed Math Is Not for Girl? Investigating the Impact of e-Learning Platforms on the Development of Growth Mindsets in Elementary Classrooms
title_short Math Is Not for Girl? Investigating the Impact of e-Learning Platforms on the Development of Growth Mindsets in Elementary Classrooms
title_sort math is not for girl investigating the impact of e learning platforms on the development of growth mindsets in elementary classrooms
topic gender gap
mathematics
feedback
e-learning platform
growth mindset
url https://vo.hse.ru/article/view/15831
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AT iuliiagerasimova mathisnotforgirlinvestigatingtheimpactofelearningplatformsonthedevelopmentofgrowthmindsetsinelementaryclassrooms
AT anastasiakapuza mathisnotforgirlinvestigatingtheimpactofelearningplatformsonthedevelopmentofgrowthmindsetsinelementaryclassrooms