E. Margaret Evans|Heidi A. Schweingruber|Harold W. Stevenson
Gender Differences in Interest and Knowledge Acquisition: The United States, Taiwan, and Japan
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor|United States Department of Education|University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
relationship interest knowledge investigated representative sample 11th grade students cultures differ strength genderrole stereotypes endorsement effortbased versus interestbased learning among 11th graders united states n 1052 taiwan n 1475 japan n 1119 boys preferred science math sports whereas girls preferred language arts music art general information scores comparable across three locations however boys consistently outscored girls gender interest science independently predicted general information scores whereas gender interest math independently predicted mathematics scores cultural variations strength relationship gender interest scores indicate specific socialization practices minimize exaggerate gender differences