Jan 10 2010
Quit Hit: Confidence and Excellence
Why are boys better in math?
Wait, back up a minute. Do boys excel in math more than girls? If so, beyond the achievement, is there a difference in ability? Recent research says: Worldwide study finds few gender differences in math abilities
Seems like the researchers, with Nicole Else-Quest as the lead author of this meta-analysis, had at least a good quantity of data to base their findings upon:
Else-Quest and her fellow researchers examined data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and the Programme for International Student Assessment, representing 493,495 students ages 14-16 from 69 countries.
Their noteworthy and potentially important conclusion -
The finding that girls around the world appear to have less confidence in their mathematical abilities could help explain why young girls are less likely than boys to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
In the past I have speculated that the difference between male and female performance in math may boil down to a difference in interest level over innate ability. Of course, it is possible that the difference in interest could be, in part, innate.
The reason I think “interest” could be important in terms of whether or not we excel in some area or not, is that I can see how it would directly translate into motivation. Motivated individuals tend to “go farther” in the area of their interest. The researchers made mention of this as well.
Despite overall similarities in math skills, boys felt significantly more confident in their abilities than girls did and were more motivated to do well.
A number of things likely influence our motivation level, both innate and learned/acquired. Perhaps any gender gap in math achievement could be narrowed if, from an early age, girls were taught that math was “their thing.” I wonder.
