Differences In Mathematics Performance Research Articles

Gender Differences in Cognitive Abilities in Human Adults

Modern world of globalization and unification is of particular interest considering the rapid changes in men's and women's dispositions and engagement in societal institutions. According to these contemporary developments of the psychosocial context, cognitive differences between females and males may also be changing. The aim of this study was to update findings from the last two decades regarding gender differences in cognitive abilities. Major updated results confirm earlier studies and demonstrate relevant gender differences in spatial abilities, verbal skills, emotional processing and executive functions. Like earlier studies, the new data also show small to trivial gender differences in mathematics performance, yet gender effects on complex problem solving are found to be smaller than in 1990 meta-analyses. The updated data confirm that gender differences in cognitive abilities do exist despite the increasing unification of men's and women's involvement in psychosocial contexts. Moreover, new scientific approaches demonstrate that these gender-specific cognitive differences are grounded on hormonal, neuroanatomical and neurofunctional substrates emphasizing their biological origin. Although the psychosocial interaction is of relevance, the primary biological basis of gender differences should be very strongly and carefully considered.

The Contingencies of Emotional Intelligence on the Academic Performance of Trainee Teachers in selected Colleges of Education in Ghana

By understanding the contingencies of EI on AP, teacher education programs can be designed to foster the development of EI skills among trainee teachers, leading to more effective teaching practices and improved student outcomes. This study analyze the effect of EI (EI) on the academic achievement of aspiring English and math teachers. The study's teacher candidates were located in the two coed colleges of education. A quasi-experimental technique was adopted in the design of this investigation. Using the multistage sampling method, 648 second year prospective teachers were selected from the two colleges. EI Inventory were both adapted and used as the basis for the questionnaires that were created and given to all responders. The analysis is used A Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). The results of the study showed a substantial difference in mathematics performance between the teacher candidates who were a part of the experimental group and those who were a part of the control group. On the other hand, there was no discernible difference in performance between the experimental and control groups in terms of English language. Hence, EI influenced trainees’ high performance in Mathematics, but it did not influence their performance in English Language. As a strategy to boost trainees’ EI, the implications and various recommendations have been made to both the administrative staff and tutors as well as the teacher trainees of the colleges of education.

Ethnic/Racial Differences in Mathematics Performance of Texas Grade 3 Students: A Statewide, Multiyear Study

In this investigation, the extent to which differences were present in the mathematics achievement by the ethnicity/race of Grade 3 students in Texas were analyzed. Data obtained from the Texas Education Agency Public Education Information Management System for all Texas Grade 3 students who took the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness Mathematics exam were examined for the 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019 school years. In all three years analyzed, statistically significant differences were revealed in overall mathematics achievement and in all four Mathematics Reporting categories. Inferential statistical analyses revealed a clear stair-step effect. Asian students were the highest performing ethnic/racial group in all four Mathematics Reporting categories and all three performance level standards, followed by White, Hispanic, and Black students. Suggestions for future research and implications for policy and practice were provided.

Relationships Between Mathematics Performance and Attitude to Mathematics: Influences of Gender, Test Anxiety, and Working Memory.

Many studies have indicated that mathematics anxiety, and other negative attitudes and emotions toward mathematics, are pervasive and are associated with lower mathematical performance. Some previous research has suggested that working memory is related to both mathematics anxiety and mathematics. Moreover, both gender and chosen course of study (sciences vs. humanities) appeared likely to influence students’ attitudes to mathematics. In the present study, 40 university undergraduates completed a battery of assessments investigating working memory, attitude to mathematics, test anxiety. and mental and written arithmetic. Attitudes to mathematics were significantly associated with the other variables: working memory, test anxiety, and both measures of mathematical performance. The other variables were not strongly associated with one another. There were no gender differences in mathematical performance, but females exhibited more negative attitudes to mathematics and higher test anxiety than males. After controlling for test anxiety, there ceased to be significant gender differences in attitudes to mathematics. Science students had more positive attitudes to mathematics than humanities students, but the groups did not differ in test anxiety, Science students were better at written but not mental arithmetic. They were also better at working memory, but this was not a significant covariate when the groups were compared on mathematical performance and attitudes to mathematics The results are discussed, with particular focus on implications for future research on influences on mathematics anxiety.

Patterns of symbolic numerical magnitude processing and working memory as predictors of early mathematics performance

Although the roles of symbolic numerical magnitude processing (SNMP) and working memory (WM) in mathematics performance are well acknowledged, studies examining their joint effects are few. Here, we investigated the profiles of SNMP (1- and 2-digit comparison) and WM (verbal, visual and central executive) among Norwegian first graders (N = 256), and how these predict performance in counting, arithmetic facts and word problem–solving. Using latent class cluster analysis, four groups were identified: (1) weak SNMP (33.6%), (2) strong SNMP (25.8%), (3) weak SNMP and WM (23.4%) and (4) strong WM (17.2%). Group differences in mathematics performance were significant with explained variance ranging from 7 to 16%, even after controlling for relevant demographics and domain-general cognitive skills. Our findings suggest that children may display relative strengths in SNMP and WM, and that they both have a unique, even compensatory role in mathematics performance.

Can a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Approach Enhance Students’ Mathematics Performance?

The STEM approach is a student-centred teaching and learning process that involves an inquiry process in problem-solving questions. This study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of the STEM approach in enhancing students’ mathematics performance. The study used a quasi-experimental design of unbalanced groups through the pre-test and post-test for treatment and control groups. The instrument included a set of questionnaires on student attitudes towards STEM implementation and the three-dimensional geometric shapes achievement test. The research samples included 14-year-old students from one of the private secondary schools in Kuching, which involved 68 students who were selected using purposive sampling. The results showed that student attitudes towards the implementation of the STEM approach were at a moderate level. In addition, the results illustrated a significant and moderate difference in mathematics performance between students who participated in the STEM approach and the conventional method using pre-test and post-test. The mean score of the post-test performance for the STEM approach was higher compared to the mean score of post-test performance for the conventional method. The results of the study demonstrated that the implementation of the STEM approach that involved both inquiry-based learning and problem-based learning was effective and able to improve the students’ academic performance. This can help teachers to vary their teaching and learning methods by increasing student interactions and engagement. Improvements can be made in the future by adding more research samples to expand the context of the study and prolong the treatment duration. Researchers can also add research variables in future studies by examining student interests and motivations towards the STEM approach.

Educators’ Beliefs on the Gender Difference in Mathematics Performance of their Students

Boys outperformed girls in mathematics test scores as per the recently conducted PISA-D test in Bhutan. Further, as of 2017 from a total of 28,070 STEM-related jobs, 34.3% are female and 64.7% are male. Since educators’ teaching practices are associated with their beliefs, this study aims to investigate some of the specific beliefs held by mathematics educators on the gender difference in the mathematics performance of their students. It employed an explanatory sequential mix-method design. Three districts of Bhutan namely Tashigang, Samdrup Jongkhar, and Samtse were covered, from July 2019 to July 2020. From three districts, a sample of 33 mathematics teachers was selected from 18 schools (6 primary schools, 6 middle secondary schools, and 6 higher secondary schools) and 3 colleges. To investigate educators' beliefs a semi-structured survey questionnaire which is the adaptation of Tiedemann [1] was employed. This was followed by interviewing 8 participants from 33 participants. Some of the specific beliefs held by mathematic educators are that educators believe that both the genders can perform equally well in mathematics, average achieving female students are more likely to deteriorate in the subsequent year and average achieving male students endures more in solving difficult questions than their counterparts. Also, 66.7 % of the participants agreed to the gender difference in mathematics performance being prominent in higher secondary schools when compared to other types of schools and colleges. Educators believe that male students can perform better in mathematics than female students.

Gender-Based Performance in Mathematical Facts and Calculations in Two Elementary School Samples From Chile and Spain: An Exploratory Study.

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 findings, great care should be exercised when reporting on possible gender differences in mathematical performance, as these can contribute to low self-concept among female students.

Gender, education, and career in the Arab world: A literature review

The underrepresentation of females in certain fields has been studied extensively in many countries. Similar to other parts of the World, the number of females graduating each year from universities in the Arab World now exceeds the number of males, yet gender differences in educational fields persist. The objective of this study is to review the extant literature on the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in the Arab World. The review synthesizes the findings of 86 articles that were published in journals and conference proceedings. This review explores gender differences in mathematics performance, math anxiety, self-concept, and occupational career choices. The review also explores social barriers that contribute to the underrepresentation of females in STEM fields. The study highlights differences between results obtained in the Arab World and results obtained in Western countries while also noting the differences between the Arab countries themselves. Finally, the study suggests directions for future research.

Gender Differences in Mathematics Performance of Secondary School Students in Obio/Akpor Local Government of Rivers State, Nigeria

Gender Differences in Mathematics Performance of Secondary School Students in Obio/Akpor Local Government of Rivers State, Nigeria

Individual Differences in Conceptual and Procedural Fraction Knowledge: What Makes the Difference and What Does it Look Like?

There is a general consensus that both conceptual and procedural knowledge are essential for students’ mathematical development. A common argument is that differences in mathematical performance are caused by differences in conceptual and procedural knowledge. Therefore, it is important to investigate to what extent such differences in conceptual and procedural knowledge are empirically evident at the level of individual students. Accordingly, the aim of the present study is to describe individual differences in conceptual and procedural knowledge using the example of fractions and to analyze their relationship to the covariates grade level, school type, school, class, gender, and general cognitive abilities. Data from 377 students in grades 8 and 9 from 18 classes at four schools in Germany was examined. A hierarchical cluster analysis showed five clusters which reflected individual differences in conceptual and procedural knowledge. The clusters were characterized by (a) equal strengths in conceptual and procedural knowledge, (b) relative strengths in procedural knowledge compared to conceptual knowledge, (c) relative weaknesses in procedural knowledge compared to conceptual knowledge. Cluster membership was not related to gender or grade level, whereas the school type, school, and grade level were relevant for cluster membership. A stronger correlation between conceptual knowledge and general cognitive abilities could only be confirmed to a limited extent.

Gender similarities in the brain during mathematics development

Some scientists and public figures have hypothesized that women and men differ in their pursuit of careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) owing to biological differences in mathematics aptitude. However, little evidence supports such claims. Some studies of children and adults show gender differences in mathematics performance but in those studies it is impossible to disentangle intrinsic, biological differences from sociocultural influences. To investigate the early biology of mathematics and gender, we tested for gender differences in the neural processes of mathematics in young children. We measured 3–10-year-old children’s neural development with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during naturalistic viewing of mathematics education videos. We implemented both frequentist and Bayesian analyses that quantify gender similarities and differences in neural processes. Across all analyses girls and boys showed significant gender similarities in neural functioning, indicating that boys and girls engage the same neural system during mathematics development.

Gender Differences in Mathematics Performance among Undergraduate Engineering Students: The Case of Bahir Dar University

In all developing countries like Ethiopia, mathematics education plays an important role for the future. For an all-round contribution, there is a need to involve both men and women in mathematical knowledge. This study focused on the gender differences in Performance in mathematics among undergraduate engineering students. The study emphasized on the influence of gender on students’ mathematics performance. This study examined gender differences in the performance of undergraduate engineering students in mathematics in Bahir Dar University. A sample of 236 students of which 158 males and 78 females were conveniently selected from first-year undergraduate engineering students in which the researchers were assigned to teach. The design for the study was a descriptive survey. In the study, students’ performance in mathematics for engineering students’ scores were collected directly from the office of the registrar, Bahir Dar University and were analyzed using the t-test using SPSS tools. Based on the findings of the study, there was no statistically significant difference in their performance.

Gender similarities in the brain during mathematics development

Some scientists and public figures have hypothesized that women and men differ in their pursuit of careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) owing to biological differences in mathematics aptitude. However, little evidence supports such claims. Some studies of children and adults show gender differences in mathematics performance but in those studies it is impossible to disentangle intrinsic, biological differences from sociocultural influences. To investigate the early biology of mathematics and gender, we tested for gender differences in the neural processes of mathematics in young children. We measured 3–10-year-old children’s neural development with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during naturalistic viewing of mathematics education videos. We implemented both frequentist and Bayesian analyses that quantify gender similarities and differences in neural processes. Across all analyses girls and boys showed significant gender similarities in neural functioning, indicating that boys and girls engage the same neural system during mathematics development.

Arabic digits and spoken number words: Timing modulates the cross-modal numerical distance effect

Moving seamlessly between spoken number words and Arabic digits is common in everyday life. In this study, we systematically investigated the correspondence between auditory number words and visual Arabic digits in adults. Auditory number words and visual Arabic digits were presented concurrently or sequentially and participants had to indicate whether they described the same quantity. We manipulated the stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs) between the two stimuli (Experiment 1: −500 ms to +500 ms; Experiment 2: −200 ms to +200 ms). In both experiments, we found a significant cross-modal distance effect. This effect was strongest for simultaneous stimulus presentation and decreased with increasing SOAs. Numerical distance emerged as the most consistent significant predictor overall, in particular for simultaneous presentation. However, physical similarity between the stimuli was often a significant predictor of response times in addition to numerical distance, and at longer SOAs, physical similarity between the stimuli was the only significant predictor. This shows that SOA modulates the extent to which participants access quantity representations. Our results thus support the idea that a semantic quantity representation of auditory and visual numerical symbols is activated when participants perform a concurrent matching task, while at longer SOAs participants are more likely to rely on physical similarity between the stimuli. We also investigated whether individual differences in the efficiency of the cross-modal processing were related to differences in mathematical performance. Our results are inconclusive about whether the efficiency of cross-format numerical correspondence is related to mathematical competence in adults.

Gender Disparity between Boys and Girls in the Performance of Mathematics in the Krachi East Municipality, Ghana

The quality of teaching and learning of mathematics with girls having equal opportunities with their counterpart boys has one of the major challenges and concerns of educators. The 1960's, up to date gender disparity in mathematics performance has been a major topic also for educational and mathematical research. This study is concern with gender disparity analysis of pupils in mathematics performance as determined by the basic skills in mathematics, in the public schools in the Krachi East Municipality. Pupils enrolled from class one to the Junior High Schools, an analysis of variance found a significant difference in the total mathematics achievement across the gender desk. Additional analysis of variance revealed statistically significant difference in mathematics performance favouring boys over females with p<0.0011.Additional Analysis of variance revealed statistically significant differences in mathematics performance favouring boys over females with p<.005. Explanations for this particular result have been attributed to some social issues including Socio Economics Status, teacher's student relationships account for gender disparity in mathematics achievement favouring boys and visible role models presented by the performance in the students favouring males. When accounting for the social situations of this population, the findings are commensurate with previous studies done on this type of population.

English and Chinese Children's Performance on Numerical Tasks.

East Asian pupils have consistently outperformed Western pupils in international comparisons of mathematical performance at both primary and secondary school level. It has sometimes been suggested that a contributory factor is the transparent counting systems of East Asian languages, which may facilitate number representation. The present study compared 35 7-year-old second-year primary school children in Oxford, England and 40 children of similar age in Hong Kong, China on a standardized arithmetic test; on a two-digit number comparison test, including easy, misleading and reversible comparisons; and on a number line task, involving placing numbers in the appropriate position on four number lines: 1–10, 1–20, 1–100, and 1–1000. The Chinese children performed significantly better than the English children on the standardized arithmetic test. They were faster but not significantly more accurate on the Number Comparison and Number Line tasks. There were no interactions between language group and comparison type on the number comparison task, though the performance of both groups was faster on easy pairs than those where there was conflict between the relative magnitudes of the tens and the units. Similarly, there were no interactions between group and number line range, though the performance of both groups was influenced by the range of the number line. The study supports the view that counting systems affect aspects of numerical abilities, but cannot be the full explanation for international differences in mathematics performance.

No gender differences in early math cognition

Education Men are overrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. One proposed reason is that men hold an intrinsic advantage over women in mathematical cognition. If such an intrinsic difference exists, it should be present early in child development. To address this question, Kersey et al. examined data from more than 500 children ranging in age from 6 months to 8 years across several tests of numerosity, counting, and elementary mathematics concepts. The authors found no differences in mathematical performance between boys and girls in any of the ages tested. These data provide some of the strongest evidence yet that differences in STEM representation are unlikely to be due to intrinsic differences in cognitive ability. NPJ Sci. Learn. 10.1038/s41539-018-0028-7 (2018).

MATHEMATICS PERFORMANCE AND ANXIETY OF JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN A FLIPPED CLASSROOM

The conventional schoolroom scenario portrays the teaching-learning processes orchestrating in the four walls of the classroom. Flipped Classroom tries to do away with the traditional mode of lecture to a more dynamic classroom experience of the students where presentation of the contents are done outside the classroom utilizing instructional videos. This study determined the effectiveness of the Flipped Classroom in the mathematics performance and anxiety of the Grade 7 students of Central Mindanao University Laboratory High School. Specifically, it aimed to answer the questions on the mathematics performance of the students when exposed to Flipped Classroom and to Non-Flipped Classroom before and after the experimentation and few days after the experimentation; on the mathematics anxiety of the students when exposed to Flipped Classroom and to Non-Flipped Classroom before and after the experimentation; on the difference in mathematics performance of the students when exposed to Flipped Classroom and to Non-Flipped Classroom after and few days after the experimentation as either significant or not; and lastly, on the difference in the mathematics anxiety of the students when exposed to Flipped Learning and to Non-Flipped Classroom as either significant or not. Results revealed that the mathematics performance of both groups recorded great improvements after the implementation. The mathematics performance of the students exposed to Flipped Classroom became significantly comparable with the mathematics performance of the students exposed to Non-Flipped Classroom in the retention test. On mathematics anxiety, the students are on moderate level in both groups before and after the implementation. Moreover, the mathematics anxiety of the students exposed to Flipped Classroom is lower after the implementation and it is even significantly lesser than the anxiety of the students exposed to Non-Flipped Classroom. Article visualizations:

CROSS-CULTURAL COMPARISONS OF YOUNG CHILDREN’S EARLY NUMERACY PERFORMANCE: EFFECTS OF AN EXPLICIT MIDPOINT ON NUMBER LINE PERFORMANCE FOR CANADIAN AND CHINESE-CANADIAN CHILDREN

INTRODUCTION. Children’s ability to place numbers on a line, where only the endpoints are marked, is related to other aspects of their mathematical understanding. In the present research, we examined the effects of a midpoint reference (e.g., marking the location of 5 on a 0-10 number line) on young children’s performance (3- to 5-year-olds) on a number line task. METHOD. We compared children with shared educational experiences but different cultural backgrounds: Chinese-Canadian children (n = 47) and Canadian children whose parents were educated in Canada or elsewhere (n = 47). All children completed a standard condition with only the endpoints marked and a midpoint condition where a midpoint reference was presented on the number line. RESULTS. The early numeracy skills of Chinese-Canadian children were better than those of the other Canadian children. Chinese-Canadian children made more accurate number line estimates when a midpoint reference at 5 was provided compared to Canadian children whereas the groups did not differ on a standard number line (i.e., no midpoint).Cultural differences persisted when mothers’ education, children’s age, and kindergarten attendance were controlled. DISCUSSION. These results suggest that strong fundamental numeracy skills are related to children’s performance on novel and complex tasks, such as the number line. These findings also indicate that differences across cultural groups may be related to language of instruction, parents’ education, or differences in home activities and emphasize the importance of developing more comprehensive frameworks for interpreting cultural differences in mathematical performance.