Frustration Management in Male and Female College Students and Their Academic Achievement

Abstract: Background: Mathematics is among the most conspicuous academic topics regarding the elicitation of learning anxiety. “Math anxiety” is more prevalent in girls and young women than in boys and men, which has been attributed to female stereotypes. The present study investigates how, compared to other introductory courses, students’ management of attendance to mathematics exams is matched for the semester in which courses are offered. Methods: The dataset contained all students with a valid enrollment in the academic years 2011/2012–2023/2024 in a university’s database, comprising 4,445 students and 17,623 individual exam results. We used the average grades and the number of days to the first attempt on an exam and a successful attempt as the major outcome variables. We differentiated gender and type of the exam, i.e., mathematics or introduction exams, as independent variables. We used ANOVA models to calculate the differences. Results: Female students have better grades than males in mathematics courses but not in introductory courses. Both female and male students had better grades in introductory than in mathematics courses. In mathematics courses, females make their first attempts earlier than males, but there are no gender differences in the time to first attempt of introductory courses. Both females and males also make first attempts earlier in introductory than in mathematics courses, and men also make earlier attempts in introductory than in mathematics courses. We found no differences between genders in the time to a successful attempt in both mathematics and introductory courses. Both females and males made successful attempts in introductory courses earlier than in mathematics courses. Discussion: These findings challenge stereotypes about math anxiety and female performance. Female students outperform males in mathematics courses, reflecting resilience and proactive engagement, as evidenced by earlier first attempts. Male students’ delayed attempts may indicate confidence or postponement tendencies. The absence of gender differences in introductory courses suggests that these patterns are specific to mathematics. Both genders perform better and attempt exams earlier in introductory courses, highlighting the greater challenges of mathematics courses. These results underline the need to address stereotype-driven barriers and math anxiety through interventions fostering confidence and early engagement, promoting equitable outcomes in mathematics education.