WOMEN in statistics classes do better academically than men over a semester despite having more negative attitudes regarding their own abilities, according to our recent study in theUsing data from more than 100 male and female students from multiple statistics classes, my colleague Kelly Rhea MacArthur and I assessed gender differences in grades over the course of a semester.
Even though men and women scored similarly on exams at the start of the semester, women finished the semester with almost 10 percent higher final exam grades. This was the case even though women had significantly worse attitudes about their mathematical abilities at the start of the semester than their male counterparts.
Meanwhile, the grades of male students who reported fear of statistics teachers or fear of asking for help decreased more sharply over the course of the semester. For men whose attitudes improved during the semester, grades also improved—though not as much as women’s grades improved.However, girls are less likely to be called on in math classes than boys, even when they raise their hands as much as boys do. Moreover, some teachers unconsciously grade girls’ math tests more harshly than boys’.
The evidence above provides hints at some of the causes of the gender discrepancy in perceived ability. However, there is much we still don’t know.
Education Education Latest News, Education Education Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: gmanews - 🏆 11. / 68 Read more »