The impact of students' gender-role orientation on competence development in mathematics and reading in secondary school

Gender differences in mathematical and reading competences have been widely reported for years. In an attempt to explain these differences, the effect of socialization outcomes (in this case, students' gender-role orientation) on gender-specific competence growth is explored. The study was conducted using data from the German National Educational Panel Study. The participants were 3374 students (48.5% female), whose reading and mathematical competences were assessed in grades five and seven. Students' gender-role orientations were assessed in grade six, as well as their interest in mathematics and German. The results confirmed expected gender differences in both domains in grades five and seven, with girls being better in reading and boys being better in mathematics. As an important point of this study, the results revealed that girls who endorsed an egalitarian orientation towards gender roles displayed higher competence development between grades five and seven in both domains than did girls who held a traditional gender-role orientation. Boys holding an egalitarian gender role orientation displayed higher competence development than boys holding a traditional gender-role orientation in reading but not in mathematics. This text discusses the results and presents ideas for further research in the area of gender roles.