Mathematics Education Team

The Presence of Gender Performance Differences in Secondary Mathematics Competitions

Research

Report (Word/PDF)   ::    PowerPoint (PPT/PDF)   ::   Poster (PPT/PDF)


Mentor

Mentor: Shatoya Estime

snestime980@ecsu.onmicrosoft.com
Elizabeth City State University
Resume

ABSTRACT

Extended Abstract (WORD/PDF)

The Presence of Gender Performance Differences in Secondary Mathematics Competitions

The presence of mathematics competitions originates from the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO).  The IMO began in 1959 in Romania and is the largest, most prestigious scientific Olympiad for high school students around the world [1].  The competition consists of six, 42-point problems varying in subject.  The questions are primarily based on pre-calculus, which is a common level of mathematics for high school students.  Subjects beyond high school level are also incorporated into the competition such as projective and complex geometry, functional equations, and number theory [2].  MATHCOUNTS and the American Mathematics Competitions are just two examples of mathematics competitions open to middle school students.  MATHCOUNTS is a multilevel national program established in 1983 that provides students the opportunity to compete with their peers [4].  The American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) is a series of examinations based on curriculum materials that focus on building problem-solving skills and mathematical knowledge [5].  The most important value of a math contest is to kindle student’s interest in mathematics while encouraging them to value intellectual activities.  Students will often turn an activity into a contest; they love games and always want to be the best at what they do.  Mathematics competitions can inspire them to become good at mathematics in the same sense that sports encourage physical fitness.  Competitions train students to deal with success, failures, and prove that practice is effective to their performance.  In our daily lives, we often have to deal with elements of pressure.  Competitions can be a model by which students learn how to cope with and overcome pressure [3].  The discussion of our research is focused on extending friendly mathematics competitions to local and surrounding high school students in the 9th grade, examining how their mathematics knowledge plays a role in their competition performance, and discussing the importance of student participation in mathematics competitions.

Keywords: Mathematics Competitions, Student Performance, Problem-Solving Skills, Gender Performance


Links

These links provided resources for this project.

Elizabeth City State University

http://www.ecsu.edu
As a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina, Elizabeth City State University offers baccalaureate, professional, and master's degrees for a diverse student body. Our mission is to promote economic, social, and environmental progress for the people of northeastern North Carolina, the state, and the nation.

Center of Excellence in Remote Sensing Education and Research

http://cerser.ecsu.edu
The goal of CERSER is to develop and implement innovative and relevant education and research collaborations focused on ice sheet, coastal, ocean, and marine research.

Science Gateways Community Institute

https://sciencegateways.org
The Science Gateways Community Institute (SGCI) was established to provide resources, services, experts, and ideas for creating and sustaining science gateways. Science gateways are online interfaces that give researchers, educators, and students easy access to specialized, shared resources that are specific to a science or engineering discipline. For example, they may connect to or between instruments (such as telescopes or sensors), data collections, specialized software, or high-performance computing.

Perquimans County High School

http://pchs.pqschools.org


WHO WE ARE

The goal of CERSER is to develop and implement innovative and relevant education and research collaborations focused on ice sheet, coastal, ocean, and marine research. CERSER is also part of the Science Gateways Community Institute (SGCI) which provides coordinating activities across the National Science Foundation, eventually providing services more broadly to projects funded by other agencies. Sharing expertise about technologies and strategies would allow developers to concentrate on the novel, the challenging, and the cutting-edge development needed by their specific user communities.

CERSER

Center of Excellence in Remote Sensing
Education and Research

1704 Weeksville Road, Box 672
Elizabeth City, North Carolina 27909 
Phone (252) 335-3696 Fax (252) 335-3790