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Gender differences in science achievement tests

University of British Columbia

The primary intent of this study was to examine the possible role of early learning experiences in contributing to sex-related differences in selected science achievement items. The science achievement items were drawn from the 1982 BC Science Assessment on the basis of a difference in P value (percent correct) of 10% or greater between males and females. The items were administered to a group of 23 8 high school students randomly selected from three schools in the Vancouver School District. The major data base for this study was obtained through interviewing 15 students with the basic question, "Can you tell me what you were thinking when you chose your answer for question 1.. 2.. ?" The interviews were audio-taped, transcribed, and condensed into five major categories which provided the main analytical framework for the study. Among the significant findings of this study were: 1. Boys' explanations for their responses to the test items referred to considerably more informal learning experiences than girls. 2. Girls' explanations for their responses to the test items referred to considerably more formal learning experiences than boys. 3. Even though girls used more formal experiences than boys to justify their answers, their performance was still substantially lower than boys for the majority of test items. 4. Girls expressed some negative reactions to a number of test items, particularly items in the physical sciences. 5. A substantial number of girls expressed uncertainty in their responses for a number of items.None of this uncertainty appeared among the boys. The findings of this study suggest that prior experiences appear to contribute to some of the sex-related differences observed in the science achievement items. It appears from this study that informal experiences reinforce and enhance school learning and could possibly result in superior performance levels.

Text

2010-07-14

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/26465

Science Education

University of British Columbia

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