The influence of Gender Stereotyping on Academic Performance in Mathematics and Chemistry among secondary school Students in Bomet District, Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of gender role stereotypes on academic performance among secondary school students in Bomet District, Kenya. The attitude towards gender role stereotypes was the independent variable and the academic performance the dependent variable. The main objective of the study was to find out whether gender role stereotypes have any influence on performance in mathematics and chemistry. The study was based on Erick Erickson theory of psychosocial development. The theory purports that the development of an individual occurs within a series of eight psychosocial stages. At every stage there is a crisis to resolve that is caused by the complexity of the demands of the society. The manner in which the crisis is resolved has a bearing on the development of positive or negative aspects of one's behaviour. Purposive simple random sampling was used to select the schools and participants of the study. A sample of 208 students was randomly selected from the form four classes, with an equal ratio of boys and girls. The main research instruments used were scores for mathematics and chemistry obtained from school records and a questionnaire that contained 20 items based on a five point likert scale. Each participant responded to one questionnaire. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer programme. Descriptive statistics such as means, standard deviation and standard error were used to compare performance of academic subjects and attitude towards gender role stereotypes between boys and girls. Inferential statistics used included t-test and Pearson correlation co-efficiency. The study found that there was a disparity in performance in chemistry and mathematics between boys and girls. It also found that there was no difference in expression of attitude between boys and girls towards gender role stereotypes. The, study further found that there was no relationship between attitude held toward gender role stereotypes an performance of mathematics and chemistry. The study also showed that there was no relationship between age and attitude towards gender role stereotypes. The findings of the study should help teachers, students, parents and other stakeholder in education to look at the barriers of gender equity in performance in mathematics and chemistry. This would enable girls to gain access to more science based in course in higher institution of learning. .