The journal article underlying this report was not yet online at the time of writing but there is an extended summary here. The research seems to be based on school tests rather than IQ tests. That is rather stupid. Girls mature faster so are mentally older than boys of the same chronological age. Girls also work harder at school. It is in adulthood that underlying differences have to be sought and there is no doubt about the findings there.
The journal reference is: Nicole M. Else-Quest, Janet Shibley Hyde, Marcia C. Linn. Cross-National Patterns of Gender Differences in Mathematics: A Meta-Analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 2010; 136 (1): 103-127. Excerpt from a popular summary below
Girls are just as good at maths as boys but fail to pursue the subject because they lack confidence in their abilities, a global study has found. Research among almost half a million students in 69 countries debunked the myth that boys are better at maths.
But the stereotype is putting talented girls off following careers related to the subject, such as engineering, information technology and science, according to the U.S. researchers.
The study, by a team from Villanova University in Philadelphia, was based on international tests taken by 493,495 students. Professor Nicole Else-Quest, from the university, said: ‘These results show that girls will perform at the same level as the boys when they are given the right educational tools and have visible female role models excelling in mathematics. ‘Stereotypes about female inferiority in mathematics are a distinct contrast to the scientific data.’ She said the results showed an even spread of scores between girls and boys.
The research, published in the American Psychological Association’s Psychological Bulletin, also looked at the level of confidence both boys and girls had when completing the tests. ‘Despite overall similarities in math skills, boys felt significantly more confident in their abilities than girls did and were more motivated to do well,’ said Professor Else-Quest.
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2 users commented in " Girls ‘are the equal of boys at maths’ claims recent study "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackI am a female who was doing poorly in a slow math class until I scored in the 99th percentile in math in our standard aptitude tests. My parents convinced the school to put me in the fast track math program and started tutoring me at home. I finished the year as a straight A student in advanced math.
In High School, I had an absolutely great calculus teacher who made it fun and interesting. This caused me to major in math in college. There I discovered computers, and this led to a job in the emerging industry where I was happily employed for almost 40 years.
Every step was interesting and challenging and often not easy, but the reward was great. There is no reason that a girl cannot follow this path, if she is encouraged to do so. I was able to marry, have children, keep a house, have hobbies and friends, etc…all the things women can and like to do.
Girls with logical thinking and inquisitive minds should be encouraged to learn both math and science. There is high self-satisfaction in both these fields. Women often have a good sense of observation and the ability to be patient.
math have nothing to do with self confidence.or you can or you cant understand maths.the girls try harder than boys and doing more homework they have more educational tools and thy have more fighting spirit than boys to do better than boys at maths sat tests.its not abought self confidence but a bout fighting spirit.at highest level sat test boys are 2 for 1 girl.Boys are smarter because of TESTOSTERONE.And the testosterone levels go to the highest level at 40 not 17 years old
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