Abstract
Statement of Problem: This study examines the effects of stereotype threat on female students in math confidence. The study focused on the following questions: Which population groups experience the largest amount of stereotype threat in the subject of mathematics? Additionally, what contributes to the different levels of stereotype threat experienced in the classroom? Specifically, perceived teacher bias, students’ self-efficacy, the prevalence of growth mindset, and intersectional factors such as class, race, or gender. Sources of Data: The source of data for this study were eighth-grade students at the context of an urban middle school. The sample size of the study was 96 students. The researcher used SPSS and Qualtrics to analyze the data from the mathematics test and surveys. Additionally, the study was cross-sectional and data was only collected at one point in time, over a two-day period. The first part of the study was a standardized mathematics test and the second part of the study was a survey that was administered through Qualtrics. Conclusions Reached: This study found that when stereotype threat is eliminated for a mathematical test, both female and male students perform better and indicate higher levels of self-efficacy. The only notable difference between female students in the experimental and control group was their attitudes about self-efficacy. However, male students in both the control and experimental group outperformed the females in their groupings. This shows that though male students reported more differences in the educational categories, it did not put them at a disadvantage in comparison to the female students in their groupings.