Parallel Session Proceedings »
5.1.7 Socioemotional Characteristics of Gifted Female and Male Students in Science and Mathematics
Even though there is a worldwide movement aimed at closing the gender gap, there is still evidence that gifted girls have a lower performance in science and mathematics on standardized tests and that they tend to have less inclination toward choosing careers in STEM fields. This loss of women´s talent in STEM is the result of many aspects, in which intrapersonal and contextual factors are becoming more relevant to understand this gap. The present study was conducted with a sample of 140 gifted male and female 9th grade students in Chile, some of which are part of university-based, extracurricular enrichment programs for the gifted. The following instruments were administered to the students: Piers-Harris Self-Concept scale, Sources of Self-Efficacy in Mathematics Scale, and the same scale related to Science. After inferential analyses, the results showed that even if there are no differences in self-concept and self-efficacy between gifted male and female students when the construct is measured globally, when comparing sub-scales of these instruments, significant differences were found. Particularly, differences in academic self-concept and physiological states –as a source of self-efficacy—were found, which was unfavorable for women in highly competitive settings, such as gifted programs. The results are discussed in terms of the ways psychosocial factors can affect gifted women, particularly women in STEM, and how these results can help provide better support and services at the school and teacher education levels to improve gifted women´s underrepresentation in the field.