A Reversed Gender Pattern? Mathematical Wellbeing Among Primary Students in Iran

Abstract Research on mathematical wellbeing (MWB) has typically found that girls report lower MWB than boys, yet almost all of this evidence comes from Western countries. Using the MWB framework, which conceptualises wellbeing in mathematics as the fulfilment of seven ultimate values within the learning process, we examined gender patterns in MWB among 472 students in Grades 4 to 6 in Iran, a context with no prior MWB research. A concurrent mixed-methods design combined a Persian adaptation of the MWB questionnaire with open-ended written responses. Confirmatory factor analysis largely supported the seven-factor structure, although the Relationships value was weak, and the scale showed full (scalar) measurement invariance across gender. Girls scored significantly higher than boys on all seven ultimate values, with the largest differences on positive emotions and accomplishment, and girls’ scores were markedly more homogeneous. Open-ended responses showed a broadly consistent pattern: girls referred more often than boys to enjoyment, pride, and understanding, boys’ accounts centred more narrowly on correct answers and marks, and both genders described relational wellbeing mainly through their teacher rather than their peers. We discuss these findings in relation to Iranian girls’ mathematics achievement, the Iranian schooling context, and the gender-equality paradox, and consider what this exploratory account from a Middle Eastern context contributes to a field so far dominated by Western evidence.