The Impact of Tutor Gender Match on Girls' STEM Interest, Engagement, and Performance. EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1178

Abstract

Persistent gender disparities in STEM fields, even when young girls perform as well in STEM in school as boys, highlight the potential importance of preconceived views of STEM work in these difference and the potential need for role models to upend these views. In this study, we investigate whether female math tutors positively influence girls' STEM interest, attendance, and math performance. We randomly assigned 422 ninth grade students taking Algebra 1 in an urban New England school district to either same-gender or opposite-gender tutors. Girls paired with female tutors reported significantly higher STEM interest (0.73 SD) compared to those assigned to male tutors and were more likely to pass the course with a C- or better (3.9 percentage points). We find no evidence that students' attendance patterns systematically differed based on their tutors' gender. The effects appear stronger for students working with tutors in-person, as opposed to virtually, and during the school day, as opposed to after school. As the first experimental study of the impact of the tutor-student gender match, the research provides evidence that pairing girls with female tutors in school can enhance girls' STEM self-concept and academic performance.