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Study: Girls do just as well as boys in math
By Kimberly S. Wetzel
Contra Costa Times
Jul 24, 2008
Here's a word problem with an answer that might surprise: Who does better in math, boys or girls?
A. Boys
B. Girls
C. On average, they perform the same
The answer, according to researchers at UC Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is C.
Girls, who historically lagged in math, do just as well as their male counterparts in solving those algebra equations and word problems, mostly because they now have the same opportunities to take advanced courses such as calculus, say the researchers, whose results appear in today's issue of the journal Science.
"They didn't take as many math courses before, so they didn't learn as much math," said Marcia Linn, UC Berkeley education professor and co-author of the study. "It's exciting that now those things are equal, and it means that people should think about how they encourage girls in math and science to make sure stereotypes aren't reinforced."
Many scholars, parents and teachers long have believed that girls aren't as adept as boys in grasping math and science concepts, and that accounts for fewer women choosing careers in math, science or engineering. But the researchers noted that 48 percent of all bachelor's degrees in math are awarded to women, and their work shows there is no evidence that girls lack mathematical ability.
Linn, along with UW-Madison psychology professor Janet Hyde and others from Wisconsin, sifted through SAT results and math scores of more than 7 million students tested under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. They used data from 10 states and calculated an "effect size" — the degree of difference between average math scores.
They found that girls were on equal footing with boys on everything from average skills to their ability to solve complex problems.
"Boys did a teeny bit better in some states, and girls did a teeny bit better in others," Hyde said. "But when you average them all, you essentially get no difference."
That wasn't necessarily the case 20 years ago, when studies showed that girls matched boys at the elementary level but lagged at the high school level.
Results of the latest study don't surprise Pam Cople, director of the Sylvan Learning Center in Walnut Creek, a tutoring center that coaches 140 children, mostly in math. Cople said girls perform just as well as boys and sometimes better because they mature faster and are able to grasp abstract concepts more quickly. Also, girls typically aren't afraid to ask questions, she said, and boys may be hesitant to get help.
"I see more girls who are more proactive than boys," Cople said. "The girls are willing to ask and are getting help, and that's probably why they're catching up. Most of the boys come (to the center) because it's what Mom wants."
Critics have argued that although the average performance of boys and girls is equal, boys dominated at the more advanced levels. But Hyde and Linn found that "for grades 2 to 11, the general population no longer shows a gender difference in math skills."
The study revealed something else surprising: The No Child Left Behind exams that were analyzed did not include any questions that tested ability to solve complex math problems, which researchers said could leave students unprepared for careers in math, science and engineering.
Mark Moran, chairman of the math department at Richmond's Kennedy High School, said girls' improved math performance may say more about preferences than ability.
"I do have girls who say their favorite class is math, but many others say that English is their favorite subject," Moran said. "I think actually it may be a preference more than an aptitude, that and a difference in confidence. For whatever reason, boys have more confidence than girls do at the same ability level."
Linn said she hopes the findings will help debunk cultural stereotypes about girls' abilities in math and help build their confidence.
"The differences have vanished, but the stereotypes for performance remain," she said. "And that deserves our attention."
Reach Kimberly S. Wetzel at 510-262-2798 or at kwetzel@bayareanewsgroup.com .
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