Email this article Didactic Contract as a Key to Interpreting Gender Differences in Maths
Abstract
Research, at both national and international levels, has started to focus on the gender gap regarding student performances in technological/scientific topics. Fervent ideological and epistemological debates have sprung up, particularly concerning the differences in mathematics test results between males and females (with males outshining females in most countries). In this paper, we analyse some questions taken from the INVALSI mathematics tests administered at varying educational stages; emergent didactic phenomena are investigated via one of the key concepts of mathematics education, the didactic contract. From a quantitative analysis, based on the percentage of answers given and Rasch Model results, it is possible to identify the presence of significant gender differences between the performances which can be traced back to the effects of the didactic contract. Furthermore, study of the features which accompany these gender gaps in the case studies allows us to investigate the gender gap in mathematics via a new interpretative method which also takes into account student ability levels.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Alivernini, F., Manganelli, S., Lucidi, F., Di Leo, I., & Cavicchiolo, E. (2017). Studenti svantaggiati e fattori di promozione della resilienza. Journal of Educational, Cultural and Psychological Studies (ECPS Journal), (16), 35-56.
Barbaranelli, C., & Natali, E. (2005). I test psicologici: teorie e modelli psicometrici. Roma: Carrocci Editore.
Baruk, S., (1985), L'âge du capitaine. Paris, Seuil.
Bell, K. N., & Norwood, K. (2007). Gender equity intersects with mathematics and technology: Problem-solving education for changing times. Gender in the classroom, 225-258.
Bolondi, G., Cascella, C., & Giberti, C. (2017). Highlights on gender gap from Italian standardized assessment in mathematics. Universita Karlova Press. SEMT proceedings (Prague 2017).
Brousseau, G. (1980a). Les échecs électifs dans l’enseignement des mathématiques à l’école élémentaire. Revue de laringologie otologie rinologie, vol. 101, 3-4, 107-131.
Brousseau, G. (1980b). L’échec et le contrat. Recherches, n.41, 177-182.
Brousseau, G. (1988). Le contrat didactique: le milieu. Recherches en Didactique des Mathématiques, 9 (3), 309-336.
Brousseau, G. (1997). Theory of Didactical Situations in Mathematics. Dortrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Cargnelutti, E., Tomasetto, C. & Passolunghi, M. C. (2016). How is anxiety related to math performance in young students? A longitudinal study of Grade 2 to Grade 3 children, COGNITION & EMOTION, 2017, 31, pp. 755 – 764.
Cascella, C. (2017). Male and female social roles in daily file, pupils’ perceptions and gender gap in Math test scores. Some empirical evidences from Italian primary school. (In press)
D'Amore, B. (2008), Epistemology, didactics of mathematics and teaching practices. Mediterranean Journal of Research in Mathematics Education. Vol. 7, (1), 1-22.
De Vleeschouwer, M. & Gueudet, G. (2011). Secondary- Tertiary transition and evolutions of didactic contract: the example of duality in Linear Algebra. In Seventh Congress of the European Society of Research on Mathematics Education (pp. 2113-2122). University of Rzesvow, Poland.
Di Tommaso, M. L., Mendolia, S., & Contini, D. (2016). The Gender Gap in Mathematics Achievement: Evidence from Italian Data. IZA Discussion paper, n.10053, Bonn.
Fennema, E., Carpenter, T. P., Jacobs, V. R., Franke, M. L., & Levi, L. W. (1998). New perspectives on gender differences in mathematics: A reprise. Educational Researcher, 27(5), 19-21.
Ferretti, F. (2015), L’effetto “età della Terra”. Contratto didattico e principi regolativi dell’azione degli studenti in matematica. [Dissertation thesis], Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, PhD in Mathematics.
Ferretti, F., Giberti, C., Lemmo, A. (2018, forthcoming). Il contratto didattico come chiave di lettura di alcune evidenze statistiche nelle prove INVALSI di matematica. In P. Falzetti (a cura di), I dati INVALSI: uno strumento per la ricerca. Milano: Franco Angeli.
Fryer, R. G., & Levitt, S. D. (2010). An empirical analysis of the gender gap in mathematics. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2(2), 210-240.
Fredricks, J. A., & Eccles, J. S. (2002). Children's competence and value beliefs from childhood through adolescence: growth trajectories in two male-sex-typed domains. Developmental psychology, 38(4), 519.
Gallagher, A. M., De Lisi, R., Holst, P. C., McGillicuddy-De Lisi, A. V., Morely, M., & Cahalan, C. (2000). Gender differences in advanced mathematical problem solving. Journal of experimental child psychology, 75(3), 165-190.
Gallagher, A. M., & Kaufman, J. C. (2005). Gender differences in mathematics: Where we are and what we need to know. In A. M. Gallagher & J. C. Kaufman (Eds.), Gender differences in mathematics (pp. 316-332). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Gestinv 2.0. Archivio interattivo delle prove Invalsi. http://www.gestinv.it (ver. 06.02.2017).
Giberti, C., Zivelonghi, A., & Bolondi, G. (2016). GENDER DIFFERENCES AND DIDACTIC CONTRACT: ANALYSIS OF TWO INVALSI TASKS ON POWERS PROPERTIES. International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, 275.
González de San Román, A., & De La Rica, S. (2012). Gender gaps in PISA test scores: The impact of social norms and the mother’s transmission of role attitudes. Estudios de Economía Aplicada, 34(1).
Gould, S. L. (1996). Strategies used by secondary school students in learning new concepts which require spatial visualization. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York.
Guiso, L., Monte, F., Sapienza, P., & Zingales, L. (2008). Culture, gender, and math. SCIENCE-NEW YORK THEN WASHINGTON-, 320(5880), 1164.
Halpern, D. F., Beninger, A. S., & Straight, C. A. (2011). Sex differences in intelligence. The cambridge handbook of intelligence, 253-272.
Herbert, J., & Stipek, D. (2005). The emergence of gender differences in children's perceptions of their academic competence. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 26(3), 276-295.
Hill, C., Corbett, C., & St Rose, A. (2010). Why so few? Women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. American Association of University Women. 1111 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036.
Impedovo, M., Orlandoni, A. & Paola, D. (2011). Quaderni SNV N.1-MAT. Guida sintetica alla lettura della prova di Matematica. Frascati: Invalsi.
INVALSI, SNV (2013). Rilevazioni nazionali sugli apprendimenti 20112/13. Rapporto tecnico. Frascati: Invalsi.
INVALSI, SNV (2015). Rilevazioni nazionali sugli apprendimenti 20114/15. Rapporto tecnico. Frascati: Invalsi.
INVALSI, SNV (2016a). Rilevazione nazionale degli apprendimenti 2015-2016. Rapporto risultati. Retrieved July 2017 from
http://www.invalsi.it/invalsi/doc_evidenza/2016/07_Rapporto_Prove_INVALSI_2016.pdf
INVALSI, SNV (2017a). Rilevazione nazionale degli apprendimenti 2016-2017. Rapporto risultati. Retrieved July 2017 from
https://invalsi-areaprove.cineca.it/docs/file/Rapporto_Prove_INVALSI_2017.pdf
INVALSI, SNV (2017b). Rilevazione nazionale degli apprendimenti 2016-2017. Rapporto tecnico. Retrieved July 2017 from
http://www.invalsi.it/invalsi/doc_eventi/2017/Rapporto_tecnico_SNV_2017.pdf
IREM de Bordeaux I (1978), Étude de l’influence de l’interprétation des activités didactiques sur les échecs électifs de l’enfant en mathématiques. 18, 170-181.
Jacobs, J. E., & Bleeker, M. M. (2004). Girls' and boys' developing interests in math and science: Do parents matter?. New directions for child and adolescent development, 2004(106), 5-21.
Jacobs, J. E., & Eccles, J. S. (1992). The impact of mothers' gender-role stereotypic beliefs on mothers' and children's ability perceptions. Journal of personality and social psychology, 63(6), 932.
Leder, G. C. (1992). Mathematics and gender: Changing perspectives.
Leder, G., & Forgasz, H. (2008). Mathematics education: new perspectives on gender. ZDM – The International Journal on Mathematics Education, 40(4), 513-518.
Leder, G., & Lubienski, S. (2015). Large-Scale Test Data: Making the Invisible Visible. In Diversity in Mathematics Education (pp. 17-40). Springer International Publishing.
Matthews, J. S., Ponitz, C. C., & Morrison, F. J. (2009). Early gender differences in self-regulation and academic achievement. Journal of educational psychology, 101(3), 689.
Mullis, I. V. S., Martin, M. O., Foy, P., & Hooper, M. (2016). TIMSS 2015 International Results in Mathematics. TIMSS & PIRLS International Study.
OECD, (2015). The ABC of Gender Equality in Education: Aptitude, Behaviour, Confidence. PISA, OECD Publishing.
OECD, (2016a). PISA 2015 Results (Volume I): Excellence and Equity in Education. OECD Publishing, Paris.
OECD, (2016b). ITALY – Country Note – Results from PISA 2015. OECD Publishing.
Pajares, F. (2005). Gender differences in mathematics self-efficacy beliefs. Gender differences in mathematics: An integrative psychological approach, 294-315.
Rash, G. (1960). Probabilistic models for some intelligence and attainment tests. Copenhagen: Danish Institute for Educational Research.
Riegle-Crumb, C. (2005). The cross-national context of the gender gap in math and science. The social organization of schooling, 227-243.
Ruffing, S., Wach, F. S., Spinath, F. M., Brünken, R., & Karbach, J. (2015). Learning strategies and general cognitive ability as predictors of gender-specific academic achievement. Frontiers in psychology, 6.
Verschaffel, L., Greer, B., & De Corte, E. (2000). Making sense of word problems. Lisse, The Netherlands.
Winkelmann, H., van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, M., & Robitzsch, A. (2008). Gender differences in the mathematics achievements of German primary school students: Results from a German large-scale study. ZDM, 40(4), 601-616.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7358/ecps-2018-018-bolo
Copyright (©) 2018 Journal of Educational, Cultural and Psychological Studies (ECPS Journal) – Editorial format and Graphical layout: copyright (©) LED Edizioni Universitarie
Journal of Educational, Cultural and Psychological Studies (ECPS)
Registered by Tribunale di Milano (19/05/2010 n. 278)
Online ISSN 2037-7924 - Print ISSN 2037-7932
Research Laboratory on Didactics and Evaluation - Department of Education - "Roma Tre" University
Executive Editor: Gaetano Domenici - Associate Executive Editor & Managing Editor: Valeria Biasci
Editorial Board: Eleftheria Argyropoulou - Massimo Baldacci - Joao Barroso - Richard Bates - Christofer Bezzina - Paolo Bonaiuto - Lucia Boncori - Pietro Boscolo - Sara Bubb - Carlo Felice Casula - Jean-Émile Charlier - Lucia Chiappetta Cajola - Carmela Covato - Jean-Louis Derouet - Peter Early - Franco Frabboni - Constance Katz - James Levin - Pietro Lucisano - Roberto Maragliano - Romuald Normand - Michael Osborne - Donatella Palomba - Michele Pellerey - Clotilde Pontecorvo - Vitaly V. Rubtzov - Jaap Scheerens - Noah W. Sobe - Francesco Susi - Giuseppe Spadafora - Pat Thomson
Editorial Staff: Fabio Alivernini - Guido Benvenuto - Anna Maria Ciraci - Massimiliano Fiorucci - Luca Mallia - Massimo Margottini - Giovanni Moretti - Carla Roverselli
Editorial Secretary:Nazarena Patrizi
© 2001 LED Edizioni Universitarie di Lettere Economia Diritto