Gender differences in high school students’ mathematics performance, attitudes, and career aspirations in Northern Ghana: the mediating roles of equal chance, equal treatment, and caliber of instruction

Résumé

This study examined the relationship among mathematics performance, attitudes, and career aspirations of Senior High School (SHS) students based on gender in the Northern Region of Ghana. A concurrent triangulation mixed method research approach was employed to gather qualitative and quantitative data through the use of closed and open-ended items. A stratified sampling technique was used to select 366 students (183 male and 183 female) as participants. Thematic coding, structural equation modeling (SEM), and Descriptive and independent sample t-test were used in analyzing the data. An independent-samples t-test revealed a statistically significant difference in mean mathematics performance between male (M = 9.41, SD = 1.093) and female students (M = 8.50, SD = 1.169), t(364) = 7.70, p < .001, Cohen's d = 0.80 (large effect). Structural equation modeling showed that Caliber of Instruction had the strongest direct effect on mathematics performance ( β = 0.51, p < .001), followed by Equal Chance ( β = 0.31, p < .01) and Equal Treatment ( β = 0.23, p < .05). A moderate positive relationship existed between career aspirations and mathematics performance ( β = 0.43, p < .001). The study recommends gender-equitable career guidance to support students’ aspirations in mathematics-related fields. Implications for policy, theory, and practice are discussed.

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