ERIC Number: EJ1265855
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-189X
EISSN: N/A
Gender Test Score Gaps under Equal Behavioral Engagement
Educational Researcher, v49 n6 p459-464 Aug-Sep 2020
Girls tend to do better than boys academically, in part because they are more engaged in school. What if they weren't? Using nationally representative data, I examine how equal starting points and trajectories of behavioral engagement in elementary school could change gender test score gaps. I find that equal engagement patterns could entirely reverse girls' average leads over boys in fifth-grade reading test score achievement and could more than triple the average math test score gender gap currently favoring boys. These findings call into question narratives about favoritism towards girls in schools, instead highlighting educational advantages boys may enjoy despite being typically far less engaged in school than girls.
Descriptors: Gender Differences, Scores, Student Behavior, Learner Engagement, Achievement Gap, Reading Tests, Mathematics Tests, Grade 5, Elementary School Students, Kindergarten, Academic Achievement
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2814
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 5; Intermediate Grades; Middle Schools; Early Childhood Education; Kindergarten; Primary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A