The OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (also known as PISA) is held every three years and the results from the 2012 test will be available in a few days.
While I was checking to see if the 2012 results were out I happened to come across analysis of the 2009 results for each country and analyzed them by gender.
The analysis is at this link. Click on Annex B1, which will then upload an excel spreadsheet with tons of tables.
Here’s some of the results:
Reading (Table I.2.3)
In every single country girls had better reading scores than boys. The difference was statistically significant in every country whether it was in Europe, North America, East Asia, the Middle East, wherever. I was not expecting the results to be so consistent across the world, and while I have no definitive answer for why this would be the consistency across numerous cultures and peoples would seem to indicate that there is a biological component to it. Is the area of the brain that handles reading better developed in 15-year-old girls than boys? Are hormones playing a role?
Mathematics (Table I. 3.3)
Unlike the reading scores when it came to math boys generally performed better than girls. In all OECD countries boys’ scores were either better or the same as girls – girls did not perform statistically better in any OECD nation. In 23 (of 35) OECD nations the difference between boys’ and girls’ scores was statistically significant.
Things get interesting when we look at the non-OECD countries. In a handful of those countries girls performed statistically better.
There might be a cultural component. I analyzed it by geographic region and:
1. In Scandinavia girls performed the same as boys (except in Denmark)
2. In former Soviet-bloc countries it was also more even, in 9 of 13 countries there was no statistical significance between girls and boys
3. However in the rest of Western Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand boys were resoundingly better, being statistically better in 16 of 18 countries. In none of these countries were girls statistically better than boys.
4. In East Asia boys and girls were even in 6 out of 9 countries, with boys better in the remaining three.
Why is there such a discrepancy in places like UK, US, Canada, Germany, France and Australia, when in other parts of the world it appears to be a bit more even?
Science (Table I.3.6)
Of the three categories science had the least variation between boys and girls in OCED countries. Of the 35 OECD countries boys were statistically better in 9, girls were statistically better in 5, and in the remaining 21 countries there was no difference.
Things are a little more varied in the non-OECD nations and the differences in terms of absolute results were also larger than in the OCED nations. Surprisingly of the 31 nations boys were statistically better in only 2, girls were statistically better in 16, and in the remaining 13 countries there was no difference.
Where did boys perform better? Predominately in Western Europe, North America and South America. Since I counted Scandinavia as separate from Western Europe before then Denmark is the outlier as the only country not in the above regions where boys were better than girls. In Finland girls were better and there was no statistical difference in the remaining Scandinavian countries.
In every Soviet-bloc country girls either performed the same as boys or better than the boys.
Interestingly girls performed statistically better than boys in 9 out of 10 countries with a predominantly Muslim population. (You could argue that Qatar and UAE do not have predominately Muslim populations in which case the results are 7 out of 8 countries).
Any thoughts as to the differences in reading, math and science?
While I was checking to see if the 2012 results were out I happened to come across analysis of the 2009 results for each country and analyzed them by gender.
The analysis is at this link. Click on Annex B1, which will then upload an excel spreadsheet with tons of tables.
Here’s some of the results:
Reading (Table I.2.3)
In every single country girls had better reading scores than boys. The difference was statistically significant in every country whether it was in Europe, North America, East Asia, the Middle East, wherever. I was not expecting the results to be so consistent across the world, and while I have no definitive answer for why this would be the consistency across numerous cultures and peoples would seem to indicate that there is a biological component to it. Is the area of the brain that handles reading better developed in 15-year-old girls than boys? Are hormones playing a role?
Mathematics (Table I. 3.3)
Unlike the reading scores when it came to math boys generally performed better than girls. In all OECD countries boys’ scores were either better or the same as girls – girls did not perform statistically better in any OECD nation. In 23 (of 35) OECD nations the difference between boys’ and girls’ scores was statistically significant.
Things get interesting when we look at the non-OECD countries. In a handful of those countries girls performed statistically better.
There might be a cultural component. I analyzed it by geographic region and:
1. In Scandinavia girls performed the same as boys (except in Denmark)
2. In former Soviet-bloc countries it was also more even, in 9 of 13 countries there was no statistical significance between girls and boys
3. However in the rest of Western Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand boys were resoundingly better, being statistically better in 16 of 18 countries. In none of these countries were girls statistically better than boys.
4. In East Asia boys and girls were even in 6 out of 9 countries, with boys better in the remaining three.
Why is there such a discrepancy in places like UK, US, Canada, Germany, France and Australia, when in other parts of the world it appears to be a bit more even?
Science (Table I.3.6)
Of the three categories science had the least variation between boys and girls in OCED countries. Of the 35 OECD countries boys were statistically better in 9, girls were statistically better in 5, and in the remaining 21 countries there was no difference.
Things are a little more varied in the non-OECD nations and the differences in terms of absolute results were also larger than in the OCED nations. Surprisingly of the 31 nations boys were statistically better in only 2, girls were statistically better in 16, and in the remaining 13 countries there was no difference.
Where did boys perform better? Predominately in Western Europe, North America and South America. Since I counted Scandinavia as separate from Western Europe before then Denmark is the outlier as the only country not in the above regions where boys were better than girls. In Finland girls were better and there was no statistical difference in the remaining Scandinavian countries.
In every Soviet-bloc country girls either performed the same as boys or better than the boys.
Interestingly girls performed statistically better than boys in 9 out of 10 countries with a predominantly Muslim population. (You could argue that Qatar and UAE do not have predominately Muslim populations in which case the results are 7 out of 8 countries).
Any thoughts as to the differences in reading, math and science?
via JREF Forum http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=269470&goto=newpost
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