ERIC Number: EJ1257786
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Jun
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2077-2327
EISSN: N/A
The Gender Differences in Science Achievement, Interest, Habit, and Creativity
Jia, Chaochao; Yang, Tao; Qian, Yu; Wu, Xinye
Science Education International, v31 n2 p195-202 Jun 2020
In this study, we explored the gender differences in science achievement, interest, creativity, and so on, using a national representative sample from the National Assessment of Education Quality (NAEQ). NAEQ assessed the Grade-4 (n = 112,314) and Grade-8 (n = 74,808) students' scientific literacy of Mainland China in 2017. The findings indicated that there was no gender difference of science academic achievement in both Grade 4 and Grade 8 in China. However, scientific interests varied in different grades and disciplines. Girls had a higher interest in science in Grade 4 and higher interest in biology in Grade 8. The 8th-grade boys had much higher creativity than girls (p < 0.001, Cohen's d = 0.301), and outperformed girls in multiple-choice items. Our study also highlighted that boys were likely to outperform in the higher score ranges, as well as lower score ranges. Finally, we also found that the boys had significantly greater variabilities in science achievement and interest (variance ratio [VR] >1.1), while the girls had slight greater variability in creativity (0.9 < VR <1.0). Our results provide a reliable Chinese evidence for international studies on gender differences. However, further research is demanded to study the reasons behind gender differences deeply.
Descriptors: Gender Differences, Science Achievement, Student Interests, Habit Formation, Foreign Countries, Grade 4, Grade 8, Scientific Literacy, Science Tests
International Council of Associations for Science Education. Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Education, Buca, Izmir 35150, Turkey. Tel: +90-532-4267927; Fax: +90-232-4204895; Web site: http://www.icaseonline.net/seiweb/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 4; Intermediate Grades; Grade 8; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A