ERIC Number: EJ813305
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Mar
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0094-1956
EISSN: N/A
Different, Not Better: Gender Differences in Mathematics Learning and Achievement
Geist, Eugene A.; King, Margaret
Journal of Instructional Psychology, v35 n1 p43-52 Mar 2008
This article reviews the assessment data, literature and research on gender differences in mathematics. The question of whether boys are better at mathematics has been an issue in education for the past 5 years. The assumption is that there is a biological difference between boys and girls that make boys predisposed to do better in mathematics. Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress disputes this assumption. The NAEP shows a gap of only 2 points between girls and boys and that has developed only in the last decade. This article reviews the literature and research on differences in boys and girls and concludes that there are differences in the way boys and girls learn and process mathematics and that this difference is not being taken into account by our educational system. Suggestions for individualizing the curriculum to meet the needs of both boys and girls in the mathematics classroom are included.
Descriptors: Mathematics Education, Females, National Competency Tests, Gender Differences, Males, Mathematics Skills, Literature Reviews, Learning Processes, Cognitive Processes, Teaching Methods, Student Needs, Teacher Expectations of Students, Sex Stereotypes, Developmental Stages, Problem Solving, Learning Activities, Competition, Cooperative Learning, Thinking Skills
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Publication Type: Information Analyses; Journal Articles
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A