According to Dweck et al. (Dweck, 1999; Dweck & Leggett, 1988) students may hold different implicit theories about the nature of intelligence. Some tend to believe that a person is born with a certain fixed amount of intelligence, that is uncontrollable and that cannot be changed through effort (an entity theory). Others view intelligence as a malleable and controllable quality that can be developed through learning and study (an incremental theory). Research has found that the one’s dominant implicit theory of intelligence has important consequences for goal orientation, attributions, affect and behaviour in school context. Perceived self-efficacy is defined as people’s beliefs about their capabilities to obtain an expected level of performance (Bandura, 1977; 1993). In school, self-efficacy beliefs determine how students feel, think, motivate themselves and behave. Several studies showed significant differences between male and female students in mathematics self-efficacy (Hyde, Fennema & Ryan, 1990). The aims of this study are: 1. to investigate a possible relation between students´ implicit theories of intelligence and their mathematics self-efficacy beliefs; 2. to investigate gender differences in implicit theories of intelligence and mathematics self-efficacy.

Subjects: 208 college students aged 14 to 18 years, 63 females and 45 males. Instruments: The Implicit Theory of Intelligence Questionnaire (Dweck Chiu, & Hong, 1995); The Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale-Revised (Pajares & Miller, 1995).

The overall results showed significant gender differences in both constructs (dominant implicit theory of intelligence and mathematics self-efficacy). We observed significant correlations between implicit theories of intelligence and mathematics self-efficacy. The results are discussed in the cultural, social and educational context. Implications for learning are also discussed.