Calculating the gender gap. (Mathematics).

Calculating the gender gap. (Mathematics). Educators have long recognized that math gender differences emerge by junior high school, with boys outperforming girls. Not so fast. According to according toprep.1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.2. In keeping with: according to instructions.3. a new study reported in the journal Social Forces, there may be no gender gap at all. The first study of the math gender gap, begun in 1972, found dramatic gender differences when gifted seventh-graders took the Scholastic Aptitude Test's math section. Involving material not yet introduced to those students in school, it was considered a test of reasoning skills. About four times as many boys scored above 600 as girls did, and about 13 times as many boys scored above 700. Later research produced similar results. This time around, researchers examined gender differences in test scores from elementary school elementary school:see school. through high school. They also analyzed an��a��lyze?tr.v. an��a��lyzed, an��a��lyz��ing, an��a��lyz��es1. To examine methodically by separating into parts and studying their interrelations.2. Chemistry To make a chemical analysis of.3. sub-samples, including high-scoring students and different areas of math, such as reasoning and geometry. The girls had higher average math scores than boys until about age 11 and higher reasoning scores at ages 11 to 13. The only gender difference found was a slight one by 12th grade, with boys accelerating at a somewhat faster rate. The bottom line: This study, which was broader and covered a longer time span, doesn't support the dramatic gender gap found in previous studies. Erin Leahey, co-investigator of the new study, says she hopes that, despite these findings, educators and administrators will recognize perceived gender differences and the stereotypes created by them. After all, perceptions of girls' lower math ability can strongly affect future choices, says Leahey, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public, coeducational, research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Also known as The University of North Carolina, Carolina, North Carolina, or simply UNC doctorate student. "Men far outnumber out��num��ber?tr.v. out��num��bered, out��num��ber��ing, out��num��bersTo exceed the number of; be more numerous than.outnumberVerbto exceed in number: women in math and science careers. We can't just stop here and say, `We've done it, there's no gender inequality inequality,in mathematics, statement that a mathematical expression is less than or greater than some other expression; an inequality is not as specific as an equation, but it does contain information about the expressions involved. anymore.'" www.irss.unc.edu/sf/abst802.htm