Examining adolescents' gender stereotypes and ingroup biases about academics, classroom regulatory behavior, and occupations

The major goal of the current study was to extend previous research on adolescents' gender stereotyping by assessing adolescents' academic, classroom regulatory behavior, and occupational gender stereotypes. This was done by creating new measures of academic and classroom regulation gender stereotypes. Using these measures, adolescents' gender stereotypes in core academic subjects, school in general, and classroom behavior were assessed. The coherence of adolescents' stereotypes was also examined. Participants were 257 7th grade students (M age = 12 years old, range 11-13 years old; 47% male. Students were administered surveys containing several measures of stereotyping. The results indicated that, for academic subjects, contrary to expectations, very few adolescents held traditional gender stereotypes; instead, most endorsed egalitarian views. Moreover, unexpected patterns emerged in which adolescents reported counter-traditional academic stereotypes. When sex differences were found in stereotyping patterns, they could be explained in part by ingroup bias. Approximately half of the students stereotyped classroom regulatory behaviors and occupations. Results provided support for the coherence of gender stereotypes such that students who stereotyped in one domain tended to stereotype in other domains. Strengths and limitations of the present study were discussed. Potentially important steps remain for research on the relation between academic gender stereotyping and academic performance.