Boys versus Girls in Academic Performance - Research Paper Example

Boys versus Girls in Academic Performance Lecturer Introduction For a long time, girls’ performance, especially in mathematics subjects, has been lagging behind boys’ performance (National Science Foundation 1997). Extensive research has been conducted seeking to understand the reason behind girls’ underachievement and reduced representation in mathematics based fields, such as engineering. School performance is a salient issue that has gained extensive research concern. Rinderman (2007) concludes that it is a key determinant and contributor towards economic welfare of a country since it predicts the future prospects of an individual. In recent years, research has concentrated on the relationship between sex differences and academic performance in various academic levels. For example, Kenney-Benson et al. (2006) conducted a research in European and North American countries on the impact of gender on academic performance. The results were that girls outperform boys even in math-related subjects, such as mathematics. These results are supported by several other researchers, such as Pomerantz, Altermatt and Saxon (2002). However, they contradict the National Science Foundation’ statement that boys outperform girls in math subjects. Further, they oppose previous findings, such as those made by Hyde, Fennema and Lamon (1990) that boys outdo girls in mathematics. There is, therefore, a conflict with respect to boys’ and girls’ performance. It could be that girls are gradually outdoing boys academically such that conclusions from research activities conducted several years ago are no longer true. There is a dire need to establish a fact regarding differences in boys and girls with respect to their academic performance. This paper seeks to clear the air by reviewing and analyzing research results to determine if girls are actually outdoing boys academically. The paper makes use of secondary data to do the analysis and concludes that boys outdo girls academically. Results Results from various sources are summarized using tables, graphs and charts as shown below. Table 1: Boys and girls relative score on Mathematics and art subjects Subject Girls Boys Math 3.46 3.54 Art 3.52 3.5 From: Fruyt et al. 2008. Sex Differences in School Performance as a Function of Consciousness, Imagination and the Mediating Role of Problem Behavior. European Journal of Personality. 22, 167-184. Figure 1: Column chart showing girls’ and boys academic performance on Art and Math (Fruyt et al. 2008) Table 2: Boys’ and girls academic performance at different ages from 1973 to 2004 Year 1973 1978 1982 1986 1990 1992 1994 1996 1999 2004 9 years Boys 218 217 217 222 229 231 232 233 233 243 Girls 220 220 221 222 230 228 230 229 231 240 13 Years Boys 265 264 269 270 271 274 276 276 277 283 Girls 267 265 268 268 270 272 273 272 274 279 17 Years Boys 309 304 301 305 306 309 309 310 310 308 Girls 301 297 296 299 303 305 304 305 307 305 From: Mead, S. 2006. The Truth about Boys and Girls. [Web] Figure 2: Line chart showing boys’ and girls academic performance at different ages from 1973 to 2004 at the age of 9 Figure 3: Line chart showing boys’ and girls academic performance at different ages from 1973 to 2004 at the age of 13 Figure 4: Line chart showing boys’ and girls academic performance at different ages from 1973 to 2004 at the age of 17 Table 3: percentage of boys and girls who repeat classes at different levels Elementary (%) Secondary 1 (%) Boys 3.8 15.7 2.3 10.1 From: Pelletier, M. n.d. Boys’ Academic Achievement: Putting the Findings into Perspective. Summary Report. [Web] Figure 5: Pie chart showing percentage of boys and girls who repeat classes at elementary academic level Figure 6: Pie chart showing percentage of boys and girls who repeat classes at secondary 1 academic level Discussion Table 1 suggests that boys in general perform better than girls in mathematics related subjects, but girls outdo boys in arts subjects, such as languages. However, when the two variables are subject to overall performance, it is apparent that age plays a role in determining their performance. However, boys are seen to perform better than girls do at all academic levels with the difference in academic performance increasing as they advance in years. Results also indicate that academic performance stagnates or even declines as boys and girls get older. Table three shows interesting results- that boys repeat classes more than girls do do do. As both boys and girls advance in years, the chances of each one of them repeating classes also increases. This may suggest that repeating classes makes pupils and students to improve their performance. This may serve to explain why boys perform better than girls do. Conclusion Overall, academic performance for girls and boys has followed a similar trend for all the years with boys performing better than girls do. Further, academic performance for boys has not indicated any decline recently. This is against research findings that suggest that, in recent years, girls’ overall academic performance has been better than that of boys. However, we cannot rule these previous findings as not holding water since other factors may also take part, such as ethnicity and the recent call for equipping and empowering the girl child. Further research is required to establish the factors contributing to differences in performance between girls and boys. For instance, personality traits, such as conscientiousness, may be different for boys and girls. This will enable teachers, parents and other relevant authorities to come up with strategies for addressing boys’ and girls’ performance. This will ensure that the job market will never have a shortage of competent men and women to serve the economy. Improving on the method of data collection This analysis was based on secondary data, which is often accompanied with concern for reliability. Primary data, which give a researcher the capacity to get first hand information, is the best way of improving on data collection. Specifically, conducting an interview on relevant parties, such students/pupils, teachers, parents and education bodies, would ensure that first hand information is obtained. An open-ended interview would be used where the researcher visits the aforementioned parties and interacts with them while asking them questions regarding the subject. This will enable the researcher to clarify complex issues and ease the tension that might develop on respondents. A sample interview is shown in index 1. References Fruyt, F., Leeuwen, V., Bolle, M., and Ckercq, B. 2008. Sex Differences in School Performance as a Function of Consciousness, Imagination and the Mediating Role of Problem Behavior. European Journal of Personality. 22, 167-184. Hyde, J. S., Fennema, E., and Lamon, S. J. (1990). Gender Differences in Mathematics Performance-A Meta Analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 107, 139–155. Kenney-Benson, G., Pomerantz, M., Ryan, A., and Patrick, H. 2006. Sex Differences in Math Performance: The Role of Children’s Approach to Schoolwork. Developmental Psychology, 42, 11–26. Mead, S. 2006. The Truth about Boys and Girls. [Web] Accessed 14 March, 2012. National Science Foundation. 1997. Women and Science: Celebrating Achievements, Charting Challenges. Arlington: National Science Foundation. Pelletier, M. n.d. Boys’ Academic Achievement: Putting the Findings into Perspective. Summary Report. [Web] Accessed 14 March, 2012. Pomerantz, E., Altermatt, R., and Saxon, L. 2002. Making the Grade but Feeling Distressed: Gender Differences in Academic Performance and Internal Distress. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94, 396–404. Rindermann, H. 2007. The G-Factor Of International Cognitive Ability Comparisons: The Homogeneity of Results in PISA, TIMSS, PIRLS and IQ-tests Across Nations. European Journal of Personality, 21, 667–706. Appendix Appendix 1: Sample Open-ended Interview for Collecting Primary Information Parents What sex is your child? How has he/she been performing for the last three years? Languages History Mathematics What position does he/she take in class? Which subject does he/she like/dislike? Teachers What is the composition of your class? What has been the general performance of boys versus girls in all classes or subjects that you teach? What subjects do girls like, in general? What about boys? What is the impact of age on their performance? Appendix 2: Original Data Read More