The Influence of Gender-Related Beliefs and Conceptions of Ability on Women Learning the Hockey Wrist Shot

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of beliefs about gender appropriateness and conceptions of ability on perceived and actual competene and patterns of behavior during practice of the hockey wrist shot. Sixty-eight undergraduate women formed four treatment conditions based on their beliefs about gender appropriateness and conceptions of ability. Four teachers taught across the treatment conditions for a total of 16 learning groups. Data were collected through a three-part questionnaire and from audio-video taping of the entire episode to ascertain the paticipants' competency beliefs, effort, and performance. Gender appropriateness impacted the participants' perceptions of competence and actual performance in the study, while beliefs about conceptions of ability did not produce a significant difference. This study reaffirms that educators must work diligently to combat the stereotypical beliefs many hold with respect to the gender appropriateness of physical activities.

Attitudes of asthmatic and nonasthmatic children to physical exercise

“…The effect of gender on these two factors has been noted in other studies. Factors of perceived competence and commitment to physical education have been reported as adversely affecting the intent of girls to participate in physical activity,40 while the opinion and support of social peers appeared to more positively influence involvement in physical activity of girls compared to boys 41. Gender differences in all the physical activity factors, except moderate exercise, confirmed the results of other studies that girls participate less in sports than boys and express less interest for future involvement 42,43.…”

Pedagogy Research Through the Years inRQES

“…Expectancy for success and subjective task values were positively associated with intentions to be physically active. Like the Belcher et al (2003) study, gender effects indicated that girls were likely to have lower expectations for success.…”

“…Bain, Wilson, and Chaikind (1989) found that experiences of social disapproval related to body size affected perceptions of exercise programs and decisions about participation. Perceptions of ability have emerged as an important variable affecting students' willingness to engage, and the perceived gender appropriateness of the task has proven to be a powerful influence on beliefs about ability (Belcher, Lee, Solmon, & Harrison, 2003). Fredenburg, Lee, & Solmon (2001) found that the kinds of feedback students receive affect perceptions of ability, and they demonstrated the importance of informational feedback to improve performance in a challenging environment.…”

A Review of Conceptions of Ability and Related Motivational Constructs in Achievement Motivation

“…One limitation in both Jourden et al (1991) and Lirgg et al (1996) studies is that conceptions of ability were manipulated by instructing participants to believe that ability is fixed or malleable (Belcher, Lee, Solmon, & Harrison, 2003). To eliminate this limitation, Belcher and colleagues investigated the Downloaded by [Southern Illinois University] at 13:56 20 December 2014 effects of gender-related beliefs and dispositional ability conceptions on students' competency beliefs, effort and persistence, and actual performance.…”

“…The merit of this study is that participants were selected from a large pool based on their conceptions concerning whether ability is innate or acquired, and these ability beliefs were reinforced through teachers' comments during the instruction session. In the Belcher et al (2003) study, a multiple-choice question was developed to differentiate participants' beliefs about ability. While the results from this initial study were somewhat inconsistent with the literature, more effort should be invested in this line of research.…”