Sex Differences in Performance Attributions, Self-efficacy, and Achievement in Mathematics - If I’m So Smart, Why Don’t I Know It?

Oct 15, 2026

Study examines whether sex differences in mathematics achievement are linked to boys’ and girls’ differing achievement-related beliefs. Using mathematics report card grades, 2001 Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) Numeracy subtest scores, performance attributions, and self-efficacy from 161 British Columbian public school students (fourth and seventh graders), results show girls’ mathematics achievement met or exceeded boys’. Girls’ attribution patterns were more self-enhancing, yet they displayed greater underconfidence and were more likely to attribute mathematics failure to lack of teachers’ help.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages25

Reading Time1 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Study overview

Research claim and design

Measures and participants

Key findings and implications

Background and rationale

Prior research on sex differences

Achievement gap changes

Theoretical framework: attributions

Definition and attribution patterns

Internal vs external attributions

Links to motivation and self-efficacy

Sex Differences in Performance Attributions, SelfȬ Efficacy, and Achievement in Mathematics: If I’m So Smart, Why Don’t I Know It? Jennifer E. V. Lloyd, John Walsh, & Manizheh Shehni Yailagh In this study, we tested the claim that sex differences in mathematics achievement are related to boys’ and girls’ differing achievementȬrelated beliefs. We compared the mathematics report card grades, 2001 Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) Numeracy subtest scores, performance attributions, and selfȬefficacy of 161 British Columbian public school students’ (62 fourthȬgraders, 99 seventhȬgraders) . Findings indicated that girls’ mathematics achievement met or exceeded that of boys and that girls’attribution patterns were more selfȬenhancing than those found in previous studies. However, girls were more apt to display underȬconfidence relative to their actual mathematics achievement and to attribute mathematics failure to a lack of teachers’help than were boys. Keywords: sex, gender, achievement, mathematics, selfȬefficacy, attributions Les auteurs ont étudié l’affirmation selon laquelle les différences dans le rendementscolaire en mathématiques chez les garçons et les filles sont liées à leurs croyances différentes au sujet du rendement. Ils ont comparé les notes en mathématiques sur les bulletins scolaires, les résultats de 2001 des sousȬtests de calcul de la Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA), l’attribution des facteurs contribuant au rendement et l’autoefficacité chez 161 élèves d’écoles publiques de la ColombieȬBritannique (62 en 4e année et 99 en 7e année) . Les résultats indiquent que le rendement en mathématiques des filles est identique ou supérieur à celui des garçons et, par rapport aux résultats d’études antérieures, les filles attribuent davantage leur rendement à ellesȬmêmes. Par contre, les filles ont plus tendance à avoir moins confiance en elles quant à leur rendement en mathématiques et à davantage attribuer leurs échecs en mathématiques à un manque d’aide de la part des enseignants que les garçons. Mots clés : genre, rendement, mathématiques, autoefficacité, attribution. _________________ CANADIAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION 28, 3 (2005): 384Ȭ408 Sex differences in academic achievement have been the subject of extensive investigation over the past two decades (Fan & Chen, 1997; Kianian, 1996) . Traditionally, studies have shown that boys’ mathematics achievement is superior to that of girls (e.g., Maccoby & Jacklin, 1974) . One explanation offered for this achievement gap is that there are sex differences in students’ mathematicsȬrelated beliefs (Bandura, 1997; Stipek & Gralinski, 1991) and that, more specifically, boys’ attribution patterns and levels of selfȬefficacy are more selfȬenhancing than those of girls. In the past decade, there has been a closing in this mathematics achievement gap. In British Columbia, for example, data from a recent Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) show only negligible sex differences in performance on the Numeracy subtest (British Columbia Ministry of Education, 2002) . In our study, we posited that, if achievement differences are indeed related to students’ selfȬefficacy and attributions, then boys’ and girls’achievementȬrelated beliefs should be the same when their academic achievement is also the same. Therefore, we designed this study to determine if the recent academic gains of girls in mathematics have been met with heightened perceptions of selfȬefficacy and more selfȬ enhancing performance attributions. We argue that, as a practical matter, achievement gains are insufficient unless the selfȬbeliefs of girls have changed correspondingly. According to Pajares (1996), an underestimation of mathematics capability, not lack of skill, is responsible for students’ avoidance of mathematics coursesand careers, and that this is more likely to be the case with females than with males. Now, more than ever before, mathematics competency is essential for advancement into a bread

FAQs

What claim does the study test about sex differences in mathematics?

It tests whether sex differences in mathematics achievement are related to boys’ and girls’ differing achievement-related beliefs, including attribution patterns and self-efficacy.

What data and measures are used to assess students?

The study compares mathematics report card grades, 2001 Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) Numeracy subtest scores, performance attributions, and self-efficacy.

What do the findings show about girls versus boys in mathematics achievement and beliefs?

Girls’ mathematics achievement met or exceeded boys’. Girls also showed more self-enhancing attribution patterns, but they were more likely to show underconfidence and attribute failure to lack of teachers’ help.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Blue Pony