The Valuing of Mathematics Learning in Schools: A Gendered Perspective

In this article gender differences in the valuing of mathematics by Hong Kong primary and secondary students have been investigated. The participants were 1081 upper primary school (Grades 5 and 6) and secondary school (Grades 8 and 9) students from various metropolitan Hong Kong schools. An Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was conducted to investigate the existence of gender differences on a number of values components. Statistically significant differences between boys' and girls' valuing of mathematics learning were found on three of the nine components derived via a Principal Component Analysis (PCA).