[Download] "Are Raelene, Marjorie and Betty Still in the Race?(Math Education Among Men and Women)" by Australian Mathematics Teacher ~ Book PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Are Raelene, Marjorie and Betty Still in the Race?(Math Education Among Men and Women)
- Author : Australian Mathematics Teacher
- Release Date : January 22, 2010
- Genre: Education,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 201 KB
Description
Over the past four decades, gender differences in mathematics learning have continued to attract attention from both the research and broader communities, in Australia and internationally. Key and persistent findings can be summarised briefly as follows. Much overlap is consistently found in the performance of females and males. Gender differences in mathematics performance are rarely reported before or during the early years of elementary school. However, from the beginning of secondary schooling and beyond, males often, but not unfailingly, outperform females on tests in mathematics. Corbett et al. (2008, p. 15) concluded from a sustained testing program of American students: "A gender gap favouring boys in math is small and inconsistent among younger students but more evident among older students". These findings are representative of those reported more widely. Whether performance differences are found seems to depend on many factors. These include the format and content of the tests (Cox, Leder, & Forgasz, 2004; Leder, Rowley, & Brew, 1999), whether high or low cognitive level items predominate (Cooper & Dunne, 1999; Hyde et al., 2008; Leder, 2007), and whether standardised tests or classroom-based data are compared (Kenney-Benson, Pomerantz, & Ryan, 2006; Kimball, 1995). Standardised tests, it seems, often favour boys while classroom based work often favours girls. The composition of the group has also been found to be an important variable--with gender differences, typically in favour of boys, more likely to be found when the sample consists of high achievers (Leder, Forgasz, & Taylor, 2006; McGraw, Lubienski, & Strutchens, 2006; Mullis & Stemler, 2002). Nevertheless, when consistent gender differences are found they are invariably dwarfed by much larger within-gender group differences. The relatively lower participation rates of females in mathematics, and particularly in more advanced mathematics subjects, have also attracted considerable attention--since students who opt out of post-compulsory mathematics courses typically restrict their longer term educational and career opportunities. Many courses and employment fields continue to include specific levels of mathematics attainment among their entry requirements, whether or not these levels are actually needed for such work.