Exploring Gender Differences in Mathematics: The Mediating Role of Metacognition Among Elementary School Students​

Source abstract

Despite ongoing efforts towards gender equality, a persistent gender gap in mathematics remains, with girls generally performing worse than boys. Clarifying the mechanisms underlying this disparity is essential for promoting educational equity. Among the potential mechanisms, general cognitive processes such as executive functions (EF) and metacognition (MC) are recognised as key predictors of mathematical learning. However, their role in gender differences in mathematics remains underexplored, and existing findings are inconsistent. The present study examined whether EF and MC mediate the relationship between gender and mathematical performance in elementary school students. A battery of self- and informant-report questionnaires was administered to 498 students aged 9-10 and their educators (parents and teachers) to assess students’ EF and MC. In addition, tests were administered to evaluate students' mathematical performance. Mediation analyses revealed that only MC (but not EF) partially mediated the relationship between gender and mathematical performance, and only in cases where outcomes were assessed by adults (parents and teachers). Indeed, although girls performed worse than boys in mathematics at equivalent levels of EF and MC, an indirect suppression effect emerged for MC. Girls were perceived as having stronger metacognitive skills, which in turn predicted better mathematical performance and partially compensated for their disadvantage. These findings suggest that while MC may mitigate the gender gap in mathematics, it does not fully eliminate it. This study is among the first to jointly examine EF and MC as mediators of gender differences in mathematics achievement, providing new insights and practical implications for promoting educational equity.