Math Gap Research Articles

A Framework for Understanding Cross-National and Cross-Ethnic Gaps in Math and Science Achievement: The Case of the United States

Comparative international assessments of academic achievement consistently indicate that US students trail behind many peers, particularly those from east Asia, in math and science. Traditional efforts to explain this finding have focused on identifying characteristics that might differentiate the United States from top-performing countries. Limitations of this descriptive, atheoretical strategy include: the ecological fallacy of inferring individual-level relations from aggregate-level data, the context specificity of predictors examined, and overreliance on simplistic methodological/analytic approaches. We advocate shifting the emphasis from cataloguing cross-national differences to: identifying core psychological achievement predictors that are stable across national settings, modeling mediators and moderators of the relations between those predictors and academic performance, and using more sophisticated analytic strategies that do justice to the complexity of the problem. We outline such an approach ...

Have Gender Gaps in Math Closed? Achievement, Teacher Perceptions, and Learning Behaviors Across Two ECLS-K Cohorts

Studies using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Class of 1998–1999 (ECLS-K:1999) revealed gender gaps in mathematics achievement and teacher perceptions. However, recent evidence suggests that gender gaps have closed on state tests, raising the question of whether such gaps are absent in the ECLS-K:2011 cohort. Extending earlier analyses, this study compares the two ECLS-K cohorts, exploring gaps throughout the achievement distribution and examining whether learning behaviors might differentially explain gaps more at the bottom than the top of the distribution. Overall, this study reveals remarkable consistency across both ECLS-K cohorts, with the gender gap developing early among high achievers and spreading quickly throughout the distribution. Teachers consistently rate girls’ mathematical proficiency lower than that of boys with similar achievement and learning behaviors. Gender differences in learning approaches appear to be fairly consistent across the achievement distribution, but girls’ more studious approaches appear to have more payoff at the bottom of the distribution than at the top. Questions remain regarding why boys outperform girls at the top of the distribution, and several hypotheses are discussed. Overall, the persistent ECLS-K patterns make clear that girls’ early mathematics learning experiences merit further attention.

Intelligent tutoring systems work as a math gap reducer in 6th grade after-school program

Achievement gaps have been long-lasting problems in mathematics education. Racial/ethnic gaps, gender gaps, and differences between school socioeconomic status are three well-known contributors to gaps in achievement. This study explored the effect of an intelligent tutoring system, the Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS) system, on reducing such gaps in an after-school program. The study was conducted with a sample of 6th grade student volunteers who were randomly assigned to one of two after-school conditions (ALEKS versus comparable teacher-led mathematics teaching). In the teacher-led condition, White males and females and African American males and females coming from schools of two levels of socioeconomic status performed differently on the math state test. In contrast, in the ALEKS condition, students with different individual differences performed similarly on the state test. These findings provide encouragement for the use of computer technology assistance to aid in the education of disadvantaged students in math.

Leveraging the power of peer-led learning: investigating effects on STEM performance in urban high schools

The Peer Enabled Restructured Classroom (PERC) is an instructional innovation developed to address gaps in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in urban high schools. The PERC model changes instruction from teacher led to peer led by bringing peer students into the classroom to lead small-group work. Our study sought to provide empirical evidence in support of the peer-led model as a means of improving STEM learning for tutored students in urban schools. We used propensity score matching to evaluate the innovation's impact on students’ achievement on standardized end-of-course tests in two 9th-grade courses – Integrated Algebra and Biology. Results suggest that by the 2nd year of implementation, enrolment in PERC Biology increased the likelihood of passing. Similar effects were not observed for PERC Integrated Algebra, but when comparing cohorts, we found that the 2nd year was twice as likely to pass as the 1st year. We discuss implications for programme improvement.

The Role of Cultural Contexts in Explaining Cross-National Gender Gaps in STEM Expectations

In recent decades, women have made impressive inroads in education and the labour market in most countries; yet, they often remain under-represented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) professions. One way to understand women’s under-representation in STEM is to examine how boys and girls develop their career expectations during adolescence, as this is a critical time when individuals begin to plan their futures. Prior cross-national research finds that gender stratification in education, work, and politics in a country affects the size of male-favourable gender gaps on math and science achievement tests for adolescents. Countries with more gender equality have smaller gender gaps in math and science. But, it is unknown how gender stratification or cultural ideologies impact the development of boys’ and girls’ STEM career expectations. Do countries with less gender equality have smaller male-favourable gender gaps in STEM career expectations? Do countries with less gender egalitarian have larger male-favourable gender gaps in STEM career expectations? Using data on student’s occupational expectations from the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment and data on country-level gender stratification and genderegalitarian ideologies from the World Bank and European Values Survey, I study the gender gap in 15-yearolds’ expectations to enter a STEM career across 24 countries. Women’s under-representation in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields is a continuing concern for scholars, educators, and policymakers, who repeatedly ask, why do so few women enter STEM (Rossi, 1965; Hill, Corbett and St. Rose, 2010)? Women have made impressive gains in education in recent decades. Girls and boys are near parity in math performance (Hyde et al., 2008); girls take as rigorous math and science courses in high school as boys while earning better grades (Buchmann et al., 2008), and more women complete college than men throughout much of the world (UNESCO, 2012a). Despite women’s tremendous success in education, sex segregation in fields of study and occupations persists (Charles and Grusky, 2004; Charles and Bradley, 2009). Across countries, women remain under-represented in STEM fields of study (Hanson, Schaub and Baker, 1996; van Langen and Dekkers, 2005). This is a pressing concern because increasing women’s participation in STEM matters for reaching gender equality in societies more broadly, but also has implications for countries hoping to retain a qualified STEM labour force, which is thought to be crucial for VC The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com European Sociological Review, 2016, Vol. 32, No. 1, 122–133 doi: 10.1093/esr/jcv078 Advance Access Publication Date: 13 August 2015

Patterns and trends in achievement gaps in Malaysian Secondary Schools (1999–2011): gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status

Educational inequality is a highly debated yet empirically understudied topic in Malaysia. This paper examines the patterns and trends of academic achievement gaps by student social groups in Malaysia, drawing upon nationally representative data for the most recent four cohorts (1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011) of eighth-grade Malaysian students from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. Results show that while the achievement gaps by gender (female vs. male) and ethnicity (Malay vs. non-Malay) existed at various time points and have changed over time, the magnitudes of change were small. Most alarmingly, the achievement gaps both in math and in science between students from high and low socioeconomic families have rapidly widened and became more prominent than gender and ethnicity gaps in recent years. If this trend continues, it will have dire consequences for economic equality and social stability in the society. To reduce educational achievement gaps, policymakers and educators should play a more active role in supporting academically disadvantaged students, especially those who are from underprivileged backgrounds.

Kindergarten Black–White Test Score Gaps

Black–white test score gaps form in early childhood and widen over elementary school. Sociologists have debated the roles that socioeconomic status (SES) and school quality play in explaining these patterns. In this study, I replicate and extend past research using new nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Class of 2010–2011. I find black–white test score gaps at kindergarten entry in 2010 in reading ( SD = .32), math ( SD = .54), and working memory ( SD = .52 among children with valid scores). Math and reading gaps widened by approximately .06 standard deviations over kindergarten, but the working memory gap was constant. Multivariate regressions show that student SES explained the reading gap at school entry, but gap decompositions suggest that school quality differences were responsible for the widening of the reading gap over kindergarten. SES explained much of the math gap at school entry, but the widening of the math gap could not be explained by SES, school quality, or other hypotheses.

Gender differences of academic performance in compulsory education in rural Southwestern China

Based on data from the Southwest Basic Education Project, this paper provides an empirical estimation of gender gaps in Chinese and math among primary and lower-secondary school students in poor counties of Southwestern China. Major findings from 2-level HLM analysis by grade (3, 5, 7, and 9) include: (1) small positive gaps favoring girls in Chinese and negative gaps in math were found for all grades. (2) Gaps were larger in higher grades, girls’ advantage in Chinese experienced a small increase over the 2006–2010 period, and gaps varied by province. (3) Being a minority and having a low SES interplayed with gender in some circumstances.

Gender and Racial/Ethnic Differences in Self-Reported Levels of Engagement in High School Math and Science Courses

While gender and racial/ethnic performance gaps in math and science have been well documented, we know little about how students feel while they are in these courses. Using a sample of 793 high school students who participated in the Experience Sampling Method of the Study of Youth and Social Development, this study examines the gender and racial/ethnic differences in self-reported levels of challenge, a measure of student engagement, while students are in math and science courses. Results from multivariate regression analyses indicate that boys report similar levels of engagement while in math and science classes, but girls do not. While Black female students report lower levels of challenge in math classes, Latina girls report lower levels of challenge while in science class in comparison to other racial/ethnic groups.

Closing the Math Gap of Native American Students Identified as Learning Disabled

This article serves as an overview of activities and selected assessment findings of a three-year research study titled, Closing the Mathematics Achievement Gap of Native American Students Identified as Learning Disabled Project (CMAG Project). Methods used were problem-based, consistent with those of Cognitively Guided Instruction, and culturally relevant. Teachers who participated in the study taught students in special education and inclusive education classrooms at grades kindergarten through twelve. Findings of this study documented significant learning gains of the target students. Three classroom vignettes provide examples of project classrooms.

Racial Segregation and the Black/White Achievement Gap, 1992 to 2009

In this study, we draw on longitudinal, state-level data to analyze the impact of four distinct forms of school racial segregation on black/white achievement gaps in math and reading. Pooled time-series analyses with two-way fixed effects suggest that increases in black–white dissimilarity and black student isolation contribute to black/white achievement gaps, increases in black–white exposure reduce achievement gaps, and increases in exposure of black students to other minority students have no impact. We conclude by discussing the implications of school racial segregation as a source of academic achievement disparities between black and white students in the contemporary United States.

The Math Gap: A Description of the Mathematics Performance of Preschool-aged Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing Children

Over decades and across grade levels, deaf/hard-of-hearing (d/hh) student performance in mathematics has shown a gap in achievement. It is unclear, however, exactly when this gap begins to emerge and in what areas. This study describes preschool d/hh children's knowledge of early mathematics concepts. Both standardized and nonstandardized measures were used to assess understanding in number, geometry, measurement, problem solving, and patterns, reasoning and algebra. Results present strong evidence that d/hh students' difficulty in mathematics may begin prior to the start of formal schooling. Findings also show areas of strength (geometry) and weakness (problem solving and measurement) for these children. Evidence of poor foundational performance may relate to later academic achievement.

Sticks, Stones, Words, and Broken Bones

Stereotype threat is frequently purported to be an important determinant of gender gaps in math. Unlike prior studies, which mostly occur in lab settings, I use data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)—a large, representative assessment of U.S. children—where through a design quirk, students are randomly assigned test blocks, some of which include gender prime questions while others do not. I exploit this natural field experiment by comparing the gender gap in math scores of students receiving primes to those who do not. I find that girls actually perform better relative to boys for some primes (stereotype reactance) and no worse for others. These findings suggest that stereotype priming effects are relevant outside of lab settings, and that consistent with findings from a companion lab experiment and other lab studies from the stereotype literature, the effects appear to depend on the exact phrasing of the primes.

Bilingualism and Academic Achievement

Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Cohort, this study examines the role that bilingualism plays in children's academic developmental trajectories during their early school years, with particular attention on the school environment (N = 16,380). Growth-curve results showed that despite starting with lower math scores in kindergarten, Mixed Bilingual children fully closed the math gap with their White English Monolingual peers by fifth grade. However, because non-English-Dominant Bilinguals and non-English Monolinguals started kindergarten with significantly lower reading and math scores compared to their English Monolingual peers, by fifth grade the former groups still had significantly lower scores. School-level factors explained about one third of the reductions in the differences in children's academic performance.

There's an App for That (or Soon Will Be): Smart Phones, Social Networking, and Internet Gaming

Gaming Law Review and EconomicsVol. 14, No. 3 ARTICLESThere's an App for That (or Soon Will Be): Smart Phones, Social Networking, and Internet GamingMartin D. OwensJr.Martin D. OwensJr.Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:16 Jun 2010https://doi.org/10.1089/glre.2010.14304AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited byGambling as social practice: a complementary approach for reducing harm?5 December 2019 | Harm Reduction Journal, Vol. 16, No. 1Computer Gaming and the Gender Math Gap: Cross-Country Evidence among Teenagers23 July 2018Exploiting online social gambling for marketing communications27 July 2016 | Journal of Strategic Marketing, Vol. 26, No. 3Facets and Dimensions of Online Social GamblingDifferences that MatterSelling Internet Gambling: Advertising, New Media and the Content of Poker Promotion3 November 2011 | International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, Vol. 10, No. 5A review of Australian classification practices for commercial video games featuring simulated gamblingInternational Gambling Studies, Vol. 12, No. 2Current Market Overview11 February 2012Future Trends11 February 2012Player account-based gambling: potentials for behaviour-based research methodologiesInternational Gambling Studies, Vol. 11, No. 2 Volume 14Issue 3Apr 2010 Information© 2010 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.To cite this article:Martin D. OwensJr..There's an App for That (or Soon Will Be): Smart Phones, Social Networking, and Internet Gaming.Gaming Law Review and Economics.Apr 2010.171-174.http://doi.org/10.1089/glre.2010.14304Published in Volume: 14 Issue 3: June 16, 2010PDF download

Cross-national patterns of gender differences in mathematics: A meta-analysis.

A gender gap in mathematics achievement persists in some nations but not in others. In light of the underrepresentation of women in careers in science, technology, mathematics, and engineering, increasing research attention is being devoted to understanding gender differences in mathematics achievement, attitudes, and affect. The gender stratification hypothesis maintains that such gender differences are closely related to cultural variations in opportunity structures for girls and women. We meta-analyzed 2 major international data sets, the 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and the Programme for International Student Assessment, representing 493,495 students 14-16 years of age, to estimate the magnitude of gender differences in mathematics achievement, attitudes, and affect across 69 nations throughout the world. Consistent with the gender similarities hypothesis, all of the mean effect sizes in mathematics achievement were very small (d < 0.15); however, national effect sizes showed considerable variability (ds = -0.42 to 0.40). Despite gender similarities in achievement, boys reported more positive math attitudes and affect (ds = 0.10 to 0.33); national effect sizes ranged from d = -0.61 to 0.89. In contrast to those of previous tests of the gender stratification hypothesis, our results point to specific domains of gender equity responsible for gender gaps in math. Gender equity in school enrollment, women's share of research jobs, and women's parliamentary representation were the most powerful predictors of cross-national variability in gender gaps in math. Results are situated within the context of existing research demonstrating apparently paradoxical effects of societal gender equity and highlight the significance of increasing girls' and women's agency cross-nationally.

An Empirical Analysis of the Gender Gap in Mathematics

We document and analyze the emergence of a substantial gender gap in mathematics in the early years of schooling using a large, recent, and nationally representative panel of US children. There are no mean differences between boys and girls upon entry to school, but girls lose more than two-tenths of a standard deviation relative to boys over the first six years of school. The ground lost by girls relative to boys is roughly half as large as the black-white test score gap that appears over these same ages. We document the presence of this gender math gap across every strata of society. We explore a wide range of possible explanations in the data, including less investment by girls in math, low parental expectations, and biased tests, but find little support for these theories. Moving to cross-country comparisons, we find earlier results linking the gender gap in math to measures of gender equality are sensitive to the inclusion of Muslim countries, where, in spite of women's low status, there is little or no gender gap in math. (JEL I23, J26)

‘Excellence is Never an Accident’

Brownsville, Texas, schools earn high marks for their focus on improving the English acquisition of their largely immigrant students. They use a web of instructional leadership and shared responsibility for every child. Excellence is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction, skillful execution, and the vision to see obstacles as opportunities. -- Brownsville motto Even among districts selected as finalists for the Broad Prize for Urban Education, the Brownsville Independent School District in Texas stands out. In 2008, the district received the Broad prize. Like all of the finalists, the district reflects the high poverty of its student population. Unlike others, Brownsville also serves a large population of English language learners, many of them new arrivals to this border town between Mexico and the United States. In reading and math at all grade levels, Brownsville outperformed other Texas districts serving students with similar income levels. In addition, Brownsville's Hispanic and low-income students outperformed their peers in similar districts in reading and math at all grade levels. Between 2004 and 2007, Brownsville's Hispanic students showed greater improvement than their peers in similar Texas districts in reading and math at all grade levels, according to the Broad prize methodology. Brownsville's low-income students also showed greater improvement than their peers in similar Texas districts in math at all grade levels and in elementary and high school reading. From 2004 to 2007, Brownsville surpassed the state average in raising the percentage of Hispanic and low-income students who achieved math proficiency at all grade levels and in elementary and high school reading proficiency. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Brownsville is also narrowing income and ethnic achievement gaps in reading and math at all grade levels. For example, between 2004 and 2007, Brownsville reduced the gap between Hispanic students and the state average for white students 12 percentage points in middle school math and reduced the gap between low-income students and Texas' non-low-income student average nine percentage points in high school reading. Three characteristics set Brownsville apart from other urban districts. MOVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS TO PROFICIENCY QUICKLY. The Brownsville Independent School District (BISD) serves one of the most underprivileged student populations in urban America, many of whom come to the district with limited, if any, English skills, especially among the elementary students. The programs and supports in place for English language learners (ELL) are unique to the local context. All elementary-level teachers in the district are dual certified in bilingual education. Districtwide, all teachers are trained in sheltered English instruction strategies. While the district offers optional transition and dual immersion in some schools, based on parent preference or student need, most students are placed in traditional classrooms where instruction is in English. Being successful is not a deep, dark secret. Using a range of research-based strategies and supplemental programs, the focus of instruction for young ELL students is to promote rapid gains in English proficiency. We push vocabulary; we push fluency in English, because we want them to be fluent in both languages, said one bilingual teacher. As a result of BISD's focused efforts, by the end of 3rd grade, almost 100% of students are proficient in English. Usually in the 4th grade, students are completely exiting [ELL programs], district administrators reported. The district also takes steps to ensure that ELL students who enter the district at the secondary levels do so in the most appropriate way. Through a partnership with the University of Texas at Austin, the district reviews transcripts for students entering from another country to ensure that students are being placed at the proper grade level and that they receive credit for courses taken elsewhere. …

The Academic Achievement Gap in Grades 3 to 8

Abstract Using data for North Carolina public school students in grades 3 to 8, we examine achievement gaps between white students and students from other racial and ethnic groups. We focus on cohorts of students who stay in the state's public schools for all six years. While the black-white gaps are sizable and robust, both Hispanic and Asian students tend to gain on whites as they progress in school. Beyond simple mean differences, we find that the racial gaps in math between low-performing students have tended to shrink as students progress through school, while those for high-performing students have generally widened.

The middle school experience: effects on the math and science achievement of adolescents with LD.

The present study examined the relation between middle school transitions and achievement gaps in math and science between adolescents with and without learning disabilities (LD). An abundance of research indicates that motivation and achievement decline during the early adolescent years, and that this decline is often attributable to the transition from elementary to middle grade schools during early adolescence. Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study, it was found that, on average, there was a strong gap in achievement between the two groups of early adolescents. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine school effects on these achievement gaps. Results indicated that although there were achievement gaps in math and science between adolescents with LD and non-LD adolescents, this gap was greatly reduced for adolescents who did not make a school transition until at least the ninth grade. It is proposed that the policies and practices of typical middle-grade schools are particularly incompatible with the educational and psychological needs of young adolescents with LD.