Blinded to science: gender differences in the effects of race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status on academic and science attitudes among sixth graders

Abstract

Little research has examined whether the effects of race or socioeconomic status (SES) on educational attitudes differ by gender, limiting knowledge of unique vulnerabilities occurring at the intersection of multiple social statuses. Using data from 182 sixth-graders, interactions between gender, race/ethnicity, and SES in predicting educational aspirations, persistence, views of science, and educational self-efficacy are examined. African American and Latino boys express more negative attitudes relative to (1) higher-SES boys, (2) White boys, and (3) girls of any race/ethnicity or level of SES. The intersection of multiple inequalities in education across the early life course is discussed.

Keywords:

• social theory
• sociology
• social class
• boys
• girls
• race and ethnicities

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by a National Center for Research Resources Science Education Partnership Award (R25 RR023304; PI Leukefeld).