Differences among Women Intending to Major in Quantitative Fields of Study.

This study found patterns of differences in quantitative performance across groups of intended under graduate majors consistent with those differences previously found for students who had completed their undergraduate study. That is, women intending to major in engineering and the physical sciences on the average scored higher on the SAT M than anticipated as compared with women intending to ma jor in mathematics, statistics, physical science, and computer science. However, the large difference in mean SAT-M per formance disappeared when other measures were controlled for, and effects of these measures were the same for both groups. Self-rating relative to others with respect to mathe matics and science ability was the primary influential variable in the study. The underrepresentation of women in mathematics related fi lds of study and occupations has received considerable attention in research literature. The focus of these studies typically has gone in two directions. Some work is especially concerned with the identification of factors influencing women to choose between quantita tive and nonquantitative fields of study (e.g., Berryman, 1985; Peng & Jaffe, 1979; Ware, Steckler, & Leserman, 1985). Other research focuses closely on comparisons of women and men in quantitative fields of study (e.g., Dunteman, Wisenbaker, & Taylor, 1979; Lunneborg & Lunneborg, 1985; Steinkamp & Maehr, 1984). Together these lines of research have generated a substantial body of evidence that women who major in quantitative fields are different from women who major in nonquantita tive fields and different as well from men who major in quantitative fields. Many of the factors differentiating these women from others also have been found to influ ence mathematics performance. Peng and Jaffe (1979) have shown that while many of the factors influencing the choice of a quantitative field of study are the same for men and women, family back ground, number of mathematics courses taken in high school, and success orientations were important for men but not for women. Lunneborg and Lunneborg (1985) also reported technical interests to be important for men and verbal abilities significant for women. Using meta analytic techniques, Steinkamp and Maehr (1984) found women's achievement and attitudes toward science to be lower than men's and also found differences in motiva tional orientations between men and women within par ticular areas of science. Women's orientations were found to surpass those of men in biology and chemistry, while men's orientations were higher in physics and general science. This pattern of orientations also was re ported by Boli, Allen, and Payne (1985) wherein women choosing quantitative fields were found to be less likely to major in physics and engineering, preferring the life sciences. Boli et al. also found men more likely to have taken a calculus course in high school and to have higher average Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT-M) scores. Studies examining factors influencing women's choice of a quantitative field of study have found that women choosing these fields were more likely to have higher mathematics and science self-concepts (Camp bell, Connolly, & Pizzo, 1986), higher educational plans (Peng & Jaffe, 1979), and a background of high school advanced science and mathematics courses (Berryman, 1985). Other influential factors were parental educa tional level and the desire for control, prestige, and in fluence (Ware, Steckler, & Lesserman, 1985). Common among all of the above factors was high mathematical achievement. The results of an exploratory analysis of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) quantitative and analytical scores (Ethington & Wolfle, 1986) suggested an impor tant third avenue of investigation: possible differences between women majoring in different quantitative fields. This exploratory study found that women who had majored in engineering and the physical sciences on the average scored higher on both the quantitative and analytical tests than were anticipated compared with women who had majored in mathematics, statistics, and computer science. In fact, women majoring in engineering had the highest average quantitative score even though they had not taken the greatest number of mathematics courses. This finding may indicate that the more mathe Address correspondence to Corinna A. Ethington, College of Education (M/C 147), University of Illinois at Chicago, Box 4348, Chicago, IL 60680.