Mathematics teachers’ influence in orienting girls toward the field of mathematics
Many studies on gender disparities in mathematics stress the role of mathematics teachers in the orientation of girls, without empirically studying how these teachers can influence their self-efficacy and their choice of direction. This research sets out to answer the question of how mathematics teachers can positively influence girls’ self-efficacy and choice of mathematics. A questionnaire study was conducted with 150 girls at Ngoa-Ékélé secondary school in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The results confirm the hypothesis that girls who are informed, motivated, advised and encouraged by their mathematics teacher are more likely to have a high level of self-efficacy in mathematics and to have a mathematics orientation than those who are not similarly influenced by their mathematics teacher.