The impact of gender on self‐assessed health knowledge in home economics

Abstract

Studies show gender differences in children's self‐assessment with boys often overestimating their academic knowledge and girls tending to underestimate theirs. This study examines whether this pattern holds in home economics, a highly feminized subject. We use a questionnaire among 9th graders ( n  = 265) that measures self‐assessment and objective knowledge within health promotion. Results show that both genders overestimate their knowledge; however, the misestimation is more pronounced among girls with low objective knowledge. Boys with similarly low knowledge are more accurate in their assessments. This suggests that overestimation is not limited to boys; it may vary depending on the subject.