Conformity to masculinity ideology, a predictor of academic-related attitudes and behaviors

Masculinity ideology is argued to be associated with academic outcomes. However, relatively few studies have examined these associations. This study examines the associations between masculinity ideology and academic skepticism, self-presentation of low achievement, academic engagement, academic initiative, and self-regulation, above and beyond academic self-efficacy, among a diverse sample of urban youth. With a sample of 135 eighth-grade students from a Northeastern middle school, 5 separate multiple hierarchical regression analyses were used to examine whether students' endorsement of masculinity ideology predicted the criterion variables above and beyond academic self-efficacy. The sample was comprised of 54 girls and 74 boys ages 12-14 years (M = 13.14; SD = .37). Results showed academic self-efficacy significantly predicted academic engagement (B = 1.26; beta = .53, p < .001; f(2) = .39), academic initiative (B = .98; beta = .37; p < .001, f(2) = .16), and behavioral regulation (B = .61; beta = .24; p < .05; f(2) = .09) and explained an additional 8 and 10% of the variance in self-presentation of low achievement (B = .54; beta = .33; p = .001; f(2) = .14) and academic skepticism (B = .56; beta = .35; p < .001; f(2) = .15), respectively, over and above academic self-efficacy. Gender, which was dummy coded and entered as a covariate, only predicted self-presentation of low achievement. Findings from this study point to the need to foster positive academic outcomes through bolstering academic self-efficacy and, perhaps more important, addressing masculinity ideology.