Longitudinal relationships among perceived teacher support, intrinsic motivation for math, and math learning outcomes: focusing on gender differences among high-achieving adolescents

This study aimed to examine longitudinal relationships among perceived teacher support, intrinsic motivation for math, and math learning outcomes. Focusing on gender differences among high-achieving adolescents, we explored whether there were significant differences in the levels of research variables and the associations among them. Data from 639 high-achieving students (boys 57.2%, girls 42.8%) from 150 schools in South Korea were analyzed using MANOVA, univariate t-tests, and multi-group SEM analysis. We found that high-achieving girls consistently displayed longer study hours and excelled in 12th-grade CSAT math scores. In contrast, high-achieving boys perceived more profound teacher support, contributing to enhanced intrinsic motivation during the earlier stages of learning. However, as students progressed, the intrinsic motivation converged across genders. While the impact of intrinsic motivation on 12th-grade CSAT math scores was universal across genders, distinct gender disparities persisted in the relationships between the studied variables. Theoretical and practical implications suggest that tailored approaches addressing these gender variations can optimize academic outcomes. Nonetheless, certain limitations, including the imbalanced gender distribution and the specific South Korean context, call for caution in generalizing these findings.