Math achievement, attitudes, and plans of black and white, male and female high school students

High school students' expectations of success and the subjective value of math to them were examined using attitudinal and achievement measures to determine their reliability in predicting future math plans as proposed in the Model of Academic Choice. Three hundred and forty-three black and white females and males from a southern, rural area answered items about their own and their parents' attitudes and expectations about mathematics achievement and about other variables that potentially relate to future plans for mathematics courses, including gender role identity, and background information. The students also took the SAT-Math test. In contrast to the model's hypothesis, students' expectations of success--defined as self-concept of math ability--more reliably predicted the number of future math courses students reported they would take than the subjective value of math. This result held for white males and females, and black females. Subjective value effectively predicted future math plans for white females, only. Neither variable successfully predicted future math plans for black males. Thus, the model received limited support. Other potentially predictive findings were that females rated themselves as better in math than males, whereas, males considered themselves as the same or a little better than females in math. Blacks reported it was more difficult to do well in math than in other subjects. The results presumably reflect the cultural milieu of this student sample.