Different Pathways to Gender Gaps among Third-Graders: Academic Self-Esteem in Mathematics versus Complex Dynamics in Literacy

Background. Gender differences in academic performance are well documented, with boys often outperforming girls in mathematics and girls excelling in literacy. Yet, the psychosocial processes underlying these disparities remain insufficiently understood, particularly in primary school.Aims. This study tested whether such gaps are already evident in third grade and examined the roles of academic self-esteem, achievement goals, and perceived parental academic involvement as explanatory mechanisms.Sample. Participants were 185 French third graders (98 girls, 87 boys; M = 8.73 years, SD = 0.36) from 20 classes across eight socioeconomically diverse schools.Methods. Students completed standardized mathematics and literacy tests and questionnaires on psychosocial factors. Analyses included t-tests to assess gender differences, hierarchical regressions and mediation models to assess the role of psychosocial factors.Results. Boys outperformed girls in mathematics (d = 0.35), whereas girls outperformed boys in literacy (d = 0.52). Comparison of objective vs. subjective performance showed that boys tended to overestimate their abilities in both domains, whereas girls underestimated themselves, particularly in literacy. In mathematics, self-esteem fully mediated the gender gap. In literacy, gender, self-esteem and mastery-avoidance goals contributed to performance, but only mastery avoidance partly mediating the effect of gender on performance. Conclusions. Mathematics disparities appear primarily driven by self-esteem, while literacy outcomes reflect a more complex influence. Detecting these processes by third grade underscores the need for early interventions that strengthen girls’ confidence in mathematics and reduce avoidance-oriented motivations in literacy.