U.S. study concludes girls just as good as boys in math

William Atkins
Friday, 25 July 2008 22:04

Science - Biology

Not surprising, the study also found that teachers and parents still consider boys to be better at math than girls. And, girls still believe themselves to be inferior to boys in math and, thus, often avoid math classes in school.

Hyde remarks, "Stereotypes are very, very resistant to change, but as a scientist I have to challenge them with data.” [MercuryOnline.com]

The study also found that boys of Caucasian-American background (white) did better than white girls. However, Asian-American girls did better than Asian-American boys. The statistics could not make statements for boys and girls of Hispanic-American, African-American, and American-Indian descent.

However, Hyde and her colleagues are concerned about one facet of the standardized tests they looked at in their study. In most of the states they gathered data from, and from most grade levels, the standardized tests did not include problem-solving questions.

According to the CNN article, such complex problem-solving questions are needed to gain the ability, “… to succeed in high levels of science and math. If tests don't assess these reasoning skills, they may not be taught, putting American students at a disadvantage to students in other countries with more challenging tests.”

Hyde comments, "It keeps girls and women out of a lot of careers, particularly high-prestige, lucrative careers in science and technology.” [CNN]

Hyde concludes, "If you plan on being a full-time homemaker or elementary school teacher, you may think you don't need math. But if you're thinking about a serious career - and want to make sure it is lucrative or prestigious - you'll take more math." [MercuryNews.com]

Additional information on the similarities and perceived differences between boys and girls is found in the American Psychological Association (APA) Online article “Men and women found more similar than portrayed in popular media, according to research on gender differences .”

[Author’s note: All girls and boys in the world, and their parents, should realize that to get a good job in this world, and to have a productive career, in the sciences, engineering, business, and other high-technology fields, mathematics is one of the most important subjects to take in secondary school, primary school, and college.

Mathematics forms the foundation (the basis) for all such career fields. You can’t do geology, computer science, physics, psychology, architecture, marketing, accounting, nursing, video gaming, marine biology, archaeology, agriculture, teaching, astronomy, and many, many other fields, without some math skills.

In fact, some degree of mathematics is needed in just about all jobs out there in today’s world. So, the more math classes a student takes in school, the better.]

Learn more about math at “Teach R Kids Math” and “Math.com.”