Abstract:

The existence of an achievement gap between boys and girls in mathematics leads to a lack of motivation for girls to choose careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). These careers command higher salaries in the labour market, and this under-representation leads to the perpetuation of the gender pay gap. Although the international literature is not yet consolidated and the national literature is incipient, some studies show that when girls have female role models, they feel more motivated and are more likely to choose a STEM career, in addition to improving their performance in mathematics. The objective of this research is to verify the causal impact of following female role models on the Mathematics performance of 9th grade students in public elementary schools in Ceará. With databases identified and provided by the Secretariat of Basic Education of the State of Ceará (SEDUC), it is possible to assemble a cohort of students who will follow from 5th to 9th grade of Basic Education, a period considered sensitive for the beginning of the performance gap in mathematics between boys and girls. To analyse the determinants of mathematics achievement, the hierarchical linear multilevel model (HLM) will be used. As the database will be longitudinal and the socio-demographic covariates of pupils, teachers, classes and schools will be aggregated, it is possible to use both the HLM and the HLM methods.

Objective:

To identify the determinants of the mathematics performance of 9th grade students in public schools in the state of Ceará.
To measure the impact of the female model in the teacher-student relationship on the gender gap in the mathematics achievement of 9th grade students.
To verify possible heterogeneous effects in subsamples by income and/or wealth level of students and by achievement levels (along the achievement distribution).