Gender differences in the mathematics achievements of German primary school students: results from a German large-scale study (original) (raw)
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2017
This work analyzes the gender gap in math results of an entire cohort of students attending the fifth grade of the primary school in Ticino. Three evaluation contexts are considered: the mark assigned by the teacher at the end of the school year, the score obtained in a standardized test in mathematics and the comprehensive evaluation provided by teacher at the end of the first quadrimester. Multivariate analysis allows to conclude that the score in the standardized test is the most important predictor of the mark in mathematics but, all things (test score, conduct mark, social origin and nationality) being equal, males are more likely to achieve a significantly better mark. The analysis of evaluations leads to the conclusion that males show a more active and participative behavior, while females show higher conformity to school rules, but appear less involved and more insecure. When pupils exhibit the same level of ability in the standardized test and achieve the same conduct mark,...
Gender Differences and Cognitive Correlates of Mathematical Skills in School-Aged Children
Child Neuropsychology, 2009
Published information concerning the influence of gender on mathematical ability tests has been controversial. The present study examines the performance of school-aged boys and girls from two age groups on several mathematical tasks and analyzes the predictive value of a verbal fluency test and a spatial test on those mathematical tasks. More specifically, our research attempts to answer the following two questions: (1) Are gender differences in mathematical test performance among children interrelated with age and (2) do verbal and spatial nonmathematical tests mediate gender effects on mathematical test performance? Two hundred and seventy-eight 7- to 10-year-old children and 248 13- to 16-year-olds were selected from schools in Colombia and Mexico (231 boys and 295 girls). The age effect was found to be significant for all measures, with scores improving with age. Results showed that boys and girls in both age groups scored similarly in most subtests, but that differences emerged in the performance of mental mathematical operations and in resolving arithmetical problems. In the latter - but not in mental math - older boys outperformed older girls, whereas no gender differences were observed in the younger groups. After controlling for age, it was found that the spatial test was, indeed, a significant mediator of gender effects, while the verbal task was not.
On the Search for Gender-Related Differences in Dutch Primary Mathematics Classrooms
International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, 2003
This paper reports on a study carried out in the Netherlands which is aimed at finding an explanation for the curious evidence that the reformed approach to mathematics education appears to have a less positive influence on girls' results. Over and over it turns out that girls' achievement scores in primary mathematics are lower than those of boys. The research started with 5000 schools and ended up with 4 schools. The paper focuses on the last part of this zooming-in research in which the classroom observations took place. By means of these observations a number of classroom characteristics, which make the teaching less optimized for girls and may cause their mathematics scores to be lower, have been traced.
Frontiers in Psychology
Gender differences in mathematical performance are not conclusive according to the scientific literature, although such differences are supported by international studies such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). According to TIMSS 2019, fourth-grade male students outperformed female students in Spanish-speaking countries, among others. This work approaches the study on gender difference by examining the basic calculation skills needed to handle more complex problems. Two international samples of second and third graders from Chile and Spain were selected for this exploratory study. Tests on basic mathematical knowledge (symbolic and non-symbolic magnitude comparisons, fluency, and calculation) were administered. The tests did not show significant difference or size effect between genders for mean performance, variance in the distribution of performance, or percentiles. As noted in the existing literature on this topic and reiterated by these finding...
Who Can ('t) Do Maths--Boys/Girls? An International Comparison
1999
There has been a long held perception that the field of mathematics is more appropriate for males than for females. The construct, mathematics as a male domain, has been considered a critical variable in explanations for females' under-representation in the most demanding mathematics subjects offered at school and higher education, and in related careers. The widely used Fennema-Sherman Mathematics attitude scales [MAS] consist of nine subscales including Mathematics as a male domain [MD]. It has recently been argued that the content of some of the MD items is anachronistic and that responses to others can no longer be reliably interpreted. Two versions of a new scale, loosely based on the MD, have been developed and trialed in Australia and Singapore with students in grades 7 to 10. In this paper, the researchers present general findings which indicate changes in perceptions about some aspects of the gendering of mathematics, discuss the similarities and differences in the perceptions of students in the two countries, and the implications of the results obtained for equity in mathematics education. The overall findings contribute an important dimension to the debate in contemporary society on concerns about the educational disadvantage of boys. (Contains 22 references.) (Author/BT) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.
1986
An assessment of sex-related differences in mathematics achievement and related attitude variables of 13-year-old students from 20 different countries is presented in this study. The analyses of student achievement were based on pretest and posttest data from seven of the participating countries and a single-test condition from the remaining 13 countries. Data were obtained from items which addressed the areas of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, measurement, and statistics. An extensive questionnaire, which also contained five subscales, was used to measure student attitudes toward mathematics. The subscales focused on: (1) mathematics as process; (2) home support; (3) mathematics and society; (4) mathematics and myself; and (5) gender stereotyping. The pattern of achievement results indicated that girls were more successful than boys in Belgium, Thailand, Finland and Hungary but least so in France, Nigeria, Israel, and the Netherlands. With regard to attitude measures, the largest differences between countries and sexes occurred for the scale, gender stereotyping. Summaries are provided
Sex differences in mathematical achievement: Grades, national test, and self-confidence
Psychology in Russia: State of the Art, 2016
Academic achievement, which is inherently an indicator of progress in the curriculum, can also be viewed as an indirect measure of cognitive development, social adaptation, and motivational climate characteristics. In addition to its direct application, academic achievement is used as a mediating factor in the study of various phenomena, from the etiology of learning disabilities to social inequality. Analysis of sex differences in mathematical achievement is considered particularly important for exploring academic achievement, since creating an adequate educational environment with equal opportunities for boys and girls serves as a prerequisite for improving the overall mathematical and technical literacy that is crucial for modern society, creates balanced professional opportunities, and destroys traditional stereotypes about the roles of men and women in society. The objective of our research was to analyze sex differences in mathematical achievement among high school students and to compare various methods for diagnosing academic performance, such as school grades, test scores, and self-concept. The results were obtained through two population studies whose samples are representative of the Russian population in the relevant age group. Study 1 looked at sex differences in math grades among twins (n = 1,234 pairs) and singletons (n = 2,227) attending high school. The sample of Study 2 comprised all twins who took the Unified State Examination in 2010-2012. The research analyzed sex differences in USE math scores across the entire sample and within the extreme subgroups. It also explored differences between boys and girls in opposite-sex dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs. The key results were as follows. No difference in mathematical achievement was observed between twins and singletons. Sex differences were found in all measures of mathematical achievement. Girls had higher school grades in math than boys, while boys outperformed girls in USE math scores. Boys were more variable and there were more Sex differences in mathematical achievement: Grades, national test, and self-confidence 5 boys at the right tail of the distribution. Girls with a positive math self-concept did better than boys on math tests. In groups of opposite-sex DZ twins, differences between the USE math scores of girls and boys were not significant. The results obtained are presumed to correspond more closely to assumptions about the roles of non-cognitive factors of variation in mathematical ability than the mathematical ability theory.
Gender differences in the development of numerical Skills in four European countries
Gender differences have been reported frequently for mathematical performance of boys and girls but usually not before adolescence. Therefore, developmental origins of a possible male advantage in numerical skills are understudied. In a large sample of second graders from four European countries, we found significant gender differences in favour of boys in writing multi-digit Arabic numerals from dictation, and in subtraction and multiplication. We discuss the latter findings with reference to a possible male advantage in visual-spatial cognition ability.