Do you Believe in Your Ability?

One of the most asked questions by students interested in economics is,

“Do I have to be good at math?”

In my research with Whitney Buser and Darshak Patel we find that confidence in math skills is critical to economics students' success – especially for women!

Key findings from our study:

1. Math ability matters, but so does confidence. Students who believe in their math skills tend to perform better in economics courses.
2. For female students, math confidence is an even stronger predictor of success than actual math knowledge. This could be a factor in addressing the gender gap in economics.
3. Building math confidence could be as important as teaching math skills when it comes to helping students succeed in economics.

What does this mean for educators and students?

• Instructors: Consider incorporating confidence-building exercises alongside math skill development.
• Students: Remember, your belief in your abilities can significantly impact your performance!
• Everyone: Let's work on changing the narrative around math anxiety in education.

This research highlights an often-overlooked aspect of learning: our perceptions of our abilities can be just as important as their abilities.

What do you think about this? Have you experienced the impact of confidence in your education or career?

The Takeaway

Build confidence, then a growth mindset, and a trust that everything is figureoutable.

Students participating in the Haile Fellows program or those in the research lab will tell you we believe in having a “Hype Squad.”? A hype squad is a group of people that will build you up when your confidence shakes. Who’s in your hype squad?

#EconomicsEducation #MathConfidence #GenderGap #HigherEducation #mentorship

Read the paper

Al-Bahrani, Abdullah, Whitney Buser, and Darshak Patel. 2018. "Does Math Confidence Matter? How Student Perceptions Create Barriers to Success in Economics Classes." Journal of Economics and Finance Education 17(1): 61-77.