Gender Differences In Achievement Research Articles

Gender differences in achievement, behavior, and STEM interest among learners using Minecraft

In this paper, we analyze how male and female learners differ in their in-game behaviors, knowledge assessment outcomes, and STEM interest using the What-If Hypothetical Implementations using Minecraft (WHIMC). We also investigate how male and female learners’ self-reported levels of frustration and boredom relate to these outcomes. We examine in-game data, out-of-game assessment data, self-reported frustration and boredom, and results of the STEM interest questionnaire (SIQ) from 175 Grade 8 learners from a school in the Philippines. We found that male learners tend to explore more than female learners. Both genders learn more through more exploration, making more observations, and completing tasks, but only female learners benefit from having more idle time. Male learners had a higher increase in STEM interest compared to female learners, while there is no significant difference in assessment scores between the genders. This study also found that boredom and frustration have a negative impact on academic outcomes, behavior, and STEM interest, especially among female learners. Bored female learners tend to do less well on post-game assessments, explore less, and make fewer observations. Frustrated female learners tend to not complete the task. Female learners who expressed frustration or boredom tend to have a decreased interest in SIQ in the Interest category after playing WHIMC.

Undergraduate sport sciences students’ attitudes towards statistics: A gender perspective

Statistics is involved in sport curricula, due to its importance in science in general and in sport sciences in particular (see for example the development of specific disciplines such as sabermetrics in baseball). The aim of this study is to investigate attitudes toward the first statistics course − the most relevant predictor for achievement − among sport sciences students of the University of Lausanne. Attitudes, measured by the instrument Survey of Attitudes Towards Statistics (SATS, Schau et al., 1995) were collected via a self-administered survey, that included known predictors of attitudes (Eichler & Zapata-Cardona, 2016) and a new one − interest in statistics in daily-life. Adopting a gender perspective, the results indicate that men have higher positive feelings toward statistics than women (Affect) and have higher confidence about their own capabilities than women (Competence). Gender and achievement in mathematics in secondary school are significant predictors of Affect and Competence, but there is an additional effect of age for the latter. Finally, there is no gender difference in achievement in the end of the semester. Gender differences in attitudes towards statistics are practically relevant for many reasons, such as women's experience during a course, the likelihood that they will take an additional optional statistical course, and in some cases, their achievement at the end of the course. It is important that the instructor is aware of them.

Top-performing math students in 82 countries: An integrative data analysis of gender differences in achievement, achievement profiles, and achievement motivation.

Top-performing math students in 82 countries: An integrative data analysis of gender differences in achievement, achievement profiles, and achievement motivation.

Supplemental Material for Top-Performing Math Students in 82 Countries: An Integrative Data Analysis of Gender Differences in Achievement, Achievement Profiles, and Achievement Motivation

Supplemental Material for Top-Performing Math Students in 82 Countries: An Integrative Data Analysis of Gender Differences in Achievement, Achievement Profiles, and Achievement Motivation

Gender gaps in math performance, perceived mathematical ability and college STEM education: the role of parental occupation

ABSTRACT Despite the promising future of employment opportunities in occupations related to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), women remain underrepresented in some STEM occupational fields. We use data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to study the role of gender differences in achievement and self-perceived ability in math during childhood, along with parental occupation (science-related versus non-science-related jobs), in the subsequent decision of majoring in science in college. Our findings suggest a loss in STEM enrollment by otherwise qualified young women and highlight the potential importance of parental occupation in STEM in encouraging women's participation in certain STEM fields.

Turning the gender tables: evidence of students’ awareness of a reversal in gender status between academic and occupational contexts

This study investigates young people’s awareness of gender differences in achievement and their reversal between educational and occupational contexts. Girls are generally more academically successful than boys but men still enjoy a superior position in the professional world. The present study therefore aimed to determine whether students were aware of a reversal in gender gap, and to explore whether the characteristics associated with high and low status groups (competence and warmth) are attributed to boys and girls in a way that is consistent with their perceived achievement-related status. From sixth grade to bachelor’s degree level, 638 students (347 girls and 290 boys, Mage = 15.98) rated boys’ and girls’ academic status in middle school, high school and university, as well as men’s and women’s occupational status. They also assessed male and female students’ warmth and competence at their respective school levels. Overall, participants seemed to be aware of a reversal in gender status between educational contexts, where they attributed the highest status to girls, and the occupational context, in which men were perceived as having the highest status. The youngest students have a limited awareness of gender inequalities in the professional world suggesting that understanding of gender dynamics increases with age. Furthermore, female students were perceived as more competent but not necessarily warmer than male students, suggesting they might be considered as a non-traditional female subgroup. This set of perceptions might have different, yet important, implications for boys’ and girls’ educational and occupational experience and the maintenance of gender hierarchy.

Gender Differences in Achievement, Interest and Retention of Students' Exposed to Fabrication and Welding Engineering Craft Practice through Cognitive Apprenticeship Instructional Technique in Nigeria.

The study was a pre-test, post-test, non-equivalent control group quasi-experiment, involving students in intact classes. Three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. The population and sample for the study consisted of all 64 National Technical Certificate (NTC) II students of fabrication and welding engineering craft practice in Ekiti State. These comprise 53 males and 11 females. The instruments used for data collection were the fabrication and welding achievement test and fabrication and welding interest inventory. The instruments were subjected to face and content validation by three experts. The reliability coefficients of the instruments are 0.79, 0.75 and 0.82 respectively. Mean was used to answer research questions, while ANCOVA was used to test the hypotheses. The mean score of girls was not significantly different from those of boys in the achievement test. There was a significant difference in the mean interest and retention scores of students based on gender. Key words: Cognitive apprenticeship, gender, cognitive achievement, interest, retention, fabrication and welding.

Stereotype threat as an antecedent to domain identification and achievement in language arts in boys: a cross-sectional study

A substantial number of experimental studies on stereotype threat explores performance of girls in mathematics. Only few concentrated on gender differences favoring girls in language performance. However, gender differences in a reading test in the Program for International Student Assessment are three times larger than in mathematics. Considerable research indicates that gender differences in achievement and academic attitudes are partly explained by stereotype threat. In this study, using structural equation modeling on representative data from a sample of schoolboys in three age cohorts, we examined the associations of repeated experiences of stereotype threat and two outcome variables: language achievement and domain identification with language arts. We demonstrated that working memory and intellectual helplessness were predicted by the level of stereotype threat. Moving beyond past work, we showed that the indirect effect explaining domain identification through intellectual helplessness was significant in older cohorts. Additionally, the indirect effect linking stereotype threat and language achievement through working memory was not significant in the oldest cohort. In this group, language identification significantly predicted language achievement. These results offer a tentative support of our prediction about a cumulative effect of stereotype threat on domain identification. The present study enriches a small but growing body of literature examining stereotype threat in male samples. Moreover, it identifies a new mediational path by which stereotype threat may be translated into lower domain identification and in turn lower language achievement.

The Relation Between Gender Egalitarian Values and Gender Differences in Academic Achievement.

Gender differences in achievement exhibit variation between domains and between countries. Much prior research has examined whether this variation could be due to variation in gender equality in opportunities, with mixed results. Here we focus instead on the role of a society’s values about gender equality, which may have a more pervasive influence. We pooled all available country measures on adolescent boys’ and girls’ academic achievement between 2000 and 2015 from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) assessments of math, science, and reading. We then analyzed the relation between gender differences and country levels of gender egalitarian values, controlling for country levels of living standards and indicators of gender equality in opportunities. Gender egalitarian values came out as the most important predictor. Specifically, more gender egalitarian values were associated with improved performance of boys relative to girls in the same countries. This pattern held in reading, where boys globally perform substantially worse than girls, as well as in math and science where gender differences in performance are small and may favor either boys or girls. Our findings suggest a previously underappreciated role of cultural values in moderating gender gaps in academic achievement.

Tablet assessment in primary education: Are there performance differences between TIMSS' paper‐and‐pencil test and tablet test among Dutch grade‐four students?

AbstractOver the last two decades, the educational use of digital devices, including digital assessments, has become a regular feature of teaching in primary education in the Netherlands. However, researchers have not reached a consensus about the so‐called “mode effect,” which refers to the possible impact of using computer‐based tests (CBT) instead of paper‐and‐pencil‐based tests (PBT) to assess student performance. Some researchers suggest that the occurrence of a mode effect might be related to the type of device used, the subject being assessed and the characteristics of both the test and the students taking the test. The international TIMSS 2019 Equivalence Study offered the opportunity to explore possible performance differences between a PBT and a tablet assessment in mathematics and science among Dutch primary school students. In the spring of 2017, the TIMSS PBT and tablet test were administered to 532 grade‐four Dutch students. Item response theory was used to explore potential mode effects. This exploration revealed no significant differences in the student ability scales between the paper and the tablet tests for mathematics and science. Also, no systematic mode effects were found for the items with high reading demand. A marginal difference was found for girls outperforming boys on the TIMSS tablet test, although no gender differences in achievement were found for the PBT. Practitioner NotesPrevious knowledge about this topic Many studies have investigated the test mode differences between CBT and PBT, but their results are divergent and inconclusive. Factor familiarity with the test device has an important impact on test performance. The difference between reading on paper or on a tablet is an important factor. Many studies demonstrate that when reading on a screen, text comprehension is perceived to be more difficult. What this paper contributes This equivalence study shows that CBT is highly comparable to PBT, indicating that both test modes are suitable for testing the conceptual knowledge of mathematics and science and are comparable for assessing TIMSS in the Netherlands. When assessed on a tablet, Dutch grade‐four girls slightly outperform boys in mathematics. Implications for practice and/or policy Within the Netherlands, the tablet test could be a good alternative to the traditional PBT. Digital testing enables investigations on the differences between boys and girls in terms of response behaviour, such as response time by analysing the log files of the assessment.

Exploring gender differences in achievement through student voice: Critical insights and analyses

The superior performance of females over males at high school and other levels appears to be a growing international phenomenon. This is notwithstanding the fact that a recent and significant compr...

Effects of Advance Organizers on Students’ Achievement in Biology in Secondary Schools in Kilifi County, Kenya

<p><em>This study investigated the effects of using advance organizers on students’ achievement in biology in secondary schools in Kilifi County. </em><em>Solomon Four, Non-Equivalent control group design was used in this study. The study targeted all secondary school students in Kilifi County. The accessible population consisted of all form two students in Kilifi County. Purposive sampling was used to select four co-educational secondary schools in Kilifi County. The four schools were randomly assigned to experimental groups (E<sub>1</sub>) and (E<sub>2</sub>) and control groups C<sub>1</sub> and C<sub>2</sub>. A total of 156 students participated in the study. Data was collected using Biology Achievement Test (BAT). The reliability of BAT was estimated using Kuder-Richardson (K-R) 20 and Cronbach’s coefficient. This yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.82 and 0.79 respectively. BAT was validated by experts in science education from Egerton University. The data collected was analyzed using mean, </em><em>o</em><em>ne-way ANOVA and t</em><em>-</em><em>test. The level of significance was 0.05. The findings of this study show that there was statistically significant difference in achievement between learners in favour of those taught using advance organizers compared to those taught using conventional teaching methods. The findings also indicate that there was no statistically significant gender difference in achievement.</em><em></em></p>

Gender equity in mathematical achievement: the case of China

Gender differences in achievement in mathematics, a traditionally male-stereotyped subject, have long been a concern for many educators around the world. Gender differences in mathematical achievement have decreased in recent decades, especially in Western countries, and become small or insignificant in large-scale tests, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The situation in China has not yet been studied. The recent PISA report lists China B-S-J-G (representing Beijing–Shanghai–Jiangsu–Guangdong) as an educational system with no significant gender difference in mathematical achievement. Based on a secondary analysis of PISA 2015 mathematics data from China B-S-J-G, this study more deeply scrutinized gender differences in Chinese students’ mathematical performance, emphasizing societal factors, namely students’ socioeconomic status, school level, school type, school location, and socioeconomic status at school level. This analysis revealed important differences within the overall picture. Most importantly, significantly more boys than girls scored in the top tier of mathematics achievement. At the lower- and upper-secondary school levels, boys performed significantly better than girls, with the achievement difference increasing at the upper-secondary level. Furthermore, this study found that, on average, Chinese (B-S-J-G) girls achieved significantly lower average scores on the PISA 2015 mathematics test than boys in the same school. Overall, students’ individual characteristics and school characteristics need to be separated and both taken into account to examine the role of gender in mathematical achievement, which has not been thoroughly investigated in the past.

EFFECT OF COMPUTER ASSISTED TEACHING STRATEGY ON STUDENTS ACHIEVEMENT BY GENDER IN AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION IN THARAKA NITHI COUNTY, KENYA

Gender has remained relevant in education because it has been linked to achievement and participation in certain professions. Gender differences in achievement has been shown to vary according to school subject. This has partly been attributed to the teaching strategy adopted by the teacher. Computer Assisted Teaching (CAT) strategy is a method that uses computers in a learning media and strengthens student’s motivation and educational processes. Little or no information is known about the impact of the strategy in teaching agriculture and consequently it’s effect on achievement by gender. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether there is gender difference in achievement in agriculture among students exposed to CAT strategy. The study employed Solomon Four-Quasi-experimental design. The study was conducted in eight county secondary schools in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. Stratified random sampling technique was used in selecting sample schools. A sample of 327 Form One students participated in the study. The research instrument was Agriculture Achievement Test (AAT) with a reliability coefficient of 0.91. Descriptive statistics (means and percentages) and inferential statistic (ANOVA) were used for data analysis. The study showed that CAT strategy improved achievement in agriculture but male students performed better than female students after exposure to CAT strategy. The study concluded that CAT is an effective strategy in improving achievement in agriculture and therefore agriculture teachers should incorporate CAT strategy in their teaching.

EFFECT OF WEB BASED INSTRUCTIONS ON ACHIEVEMENT IN SOCIAL STUDIES

The purpose of the study was to study the Effect of Web based instructions on achievement in Social Studies. The sample consisted of 100 students from Grade 8th of schools affiliated to C.B.S.E of Ferozepur and were randomly split into two groups-control (taught by traditional method) and experimental (taught by Web based instruction) groups. Firstly pre-test was administered on both the groups; then the students in the control group were taught by conventional method while experimental group was taught by Web based instructions. Then post-test was administrated on both the groups. The Statistical techniques were then employed to data collected and analysis and interpretation of the data was done. The result of the study implied that there exists significant difference in achievement in Social Studies based on Web based instructions and conventional method. The study also revealed that there exist significant gender differences in achievement in Social Studies with Web based instructions.

The Timing of Puberty and Gender Differences in Educational Achievement

In this paper, we study the effect of the timing of puberty on educational achievement and examine to what extent the gender differences in the timing of puberty can explain gender differences in achievement. We use British cohort data that combine information on pubertal development with test scores, behavioral outcomes as well as final educational attainment and earnings. Controlling for age 7 cognitive skills and family background, we show that late pubertal development is associated with a slower rate of cognitive skill growth during adolescence. This disadvantage in cognitive development is also reflected in lower levels of educational attainment and earnings for late developed individuals. The number of late developing boys is however too small to explain more than a fraction of the gender gap in educational outcomes. Furthermore, we find no effects on self-discipline or other behavioral outcomes in adolescence, suggesting a mechanism wholly separate from other causes of the gender gap.

IMPACT OF COOPERATIVE MASTERY LEARNING APPROACH ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN CHEMISTRY BY GENDER IN BOMET COUNTY, KENYA

Purpose: The study investigated the Impact of Cooperative Mastery Learning Approach (CMLA) on Students’ Achievement in Chemistry by Gender in Bomet County, Kenya.Methodology: Non-equivalent control group design under quasi-experimental research was used in which samples of four co-educational sub-county secondary schools were drawn from the schools in the County. Each school provided one Form Two class for the study. This translated to a total of 205 subjects. Students in all the four groups were taught the same chemistry content of the topic, Effect of Electric Current on Substances for a period of five weeks. In the experimental groups, CMLA teaching strategy was used while Conventional Teaching Methods were used in the control groups. Data was collected using a Chemistry Achievement Test (CAT) whose reliability coefficient was found to be 0.78, hence suitable for data collection since the value was greater than the threshold of 0.70.One null hypothesis was stated. The data collected were subjected to statistical analysis at 0.05 α-level of significance using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer package. t-test statistics was used.Results: The findings from the study indicate that the achievement level was high for students taught using CMLA compared to those taught using Conventional Teaching Methods (CTM). The results also indicate that there was no gender difference in achievement when boys and girls were taught through CMLA implying that the teaching approach is suitable for teaching both male and female students. This in turn will help in bridging the persistent gender gap in chemistry achievement among secondary school students.Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: Since CMLA enhances students’ achievement in chemistry, educators and teachers should be encouraged to use it in an attempt to improve performance in chemistry. In addition, teacher education institutions should make it part of their teacher training curriculum content.

Secondary Prevention Recommendation Attainment with Cardiac Rehabilitation: Is There a Gender Disparity?

BackgroundAchievement of secondary prevention guideline recommendations (i.e., goals) with cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is not well-documented, especially for women. This study examined achievement of the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) goals before and after CR by gender. MethodsOf 12,976 patients enrolled in the Wisconsin CR Outcomes Registry, 8,929 (68.8%) completed CR and were included in the sample. Attainment of 15 AHA/ACC goals before and after CR was examined by extracting corresponding data points in the registry as entered by CR program staff. Gender differences in achievement of these goals after CR were examined via generalized estimating equations technique. ResultsAttainment of AHA/ACC goals before CR ranged from 15.3% of patients (physical activity) to 98.1% (aspirin), and by 17.6% (physical activity) to 98.4% (diastolic blood pressure) by CR completion. Significant improvements were achieved for 8 goals (53.3%), ranging from 0.7% for body mass index (BMI) to 50.8% for physical activity. Women were significantly less likely than men to achieve the following goals by CR completion: triglycerides (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.45–0.66), physical activity (AOR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.59–0.74), and hemoglobin A1C (AOR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.32–0.78). Women were significantly more likely than men to achieve the high-density lipoprotein goal (AOR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.05–1.86). There were no gender differences in goal achievement for blood pressure, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, BMI, smoking cessation, or medication use. More than 94% of patients were taking three of four recommended secondary prevention medications both before and after the program. ConclusionsMen and women generally improved similarly in terms of AHA/ACC goal achievement. Quality improvement strategies need to focus on physical activity and blood glucose control in women.

Comparative effects of concept mapping and cooperative learning strategies on senior secondary school students’ achievement in mathematics-trigonometry in Kano State, Nigeria

This article presents the findings from an experimental study on the effectiveness of concept mapping and cooperative learning strategies on SSII students’ achievement in trigonometry in mathematics. The research design used in conducting the study was quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test non-equivalent control group. The sample consisted of 210 (110males & 100 females) SSII students from three senior secondary schools in Kano metropolis, Kano state, Nigeria. The main objectives of the study were to find out whether a significant mean difference exists in students’ achievement in trigonometry when taught with concept mapping and cooperative learning strategies, and find out the effects of the two strategies on achievement based on gender. Data was collected using researchers developed achievement test in trigonometry tagged PRE-TAT & POST-TAT with a reliability coefficient of 0.75. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The findings from the study among other things showed that the students taught using concept mapping performed better than those taught using cooperative learning strategy and both the two strategies were significantly better than the use of conventional teaching methods. The male students taught with concept mapping performed significantly better than female students. Also, the findings revealed the existence of gender differences in achievement of the students taught using cooperative learning strategy as against the use of conventional methods where it was discovered that female students performed significantly better than male students. It was recommended among other things that curriculum planners should incorporate concept mapping and cooperative learning strategies in mathematics curriculum guidelines towards the enhancement of achievement of senior secondary school students in mathematics.

Girls, Boys, and Bots: Gender Differences in Young Children’s Performance on Robotics and Programming Tasks

Prior work demonstrates the importance of introducing young children to programming and engineering content before gender stereotypes are fully developed and ingrained in later years. However, very little research on gender and early childhood technology interventions exist. This pilot study looks at N=45 children in kindergarten through second grade who completed an eight-week robotics and programming curriculum using the KIWI robotics kit. KIWI is a developmentally appropriate robotics construction set specifically designed for use with children ages 4 to 7 years old. Qualitative pre-interviews were administered to determine whether participating children had any gender-biased attitudes toward robotics and other engineering tools prior to using KIWI in their classrooms. Post-tests were administered upon completion of the curriculum to determine if any gender differences in achievement were present. Results showed that young children were beginning to form opinions about which technologies and tools would be better suited for boys and girls. While there were no significant differences between boys and girls on the robotics and simple programming tasks, boys performed significantly better than girls on the advanced programming tasks such as, using repeat loops with sensor parameters. Implications for the design of new technological tools and curriculum that are appealing to boys and girls are discussed.