ERIC Number: EJ1383011
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-May
Pages: 33
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0010-4086
EISSN: EISSN-1545-701X
International Reading Gaps between Boys and Girls, 1970-2016
Steinmann, Isa; Strietholt, Rolf; Rosén, Monica
Comparative Education Review, v67 n2 p298-330 May 2023
Gender differences are one of the most contentious issues in educational research. This study analyzes long-term changes in gender gaps in reading comprehension at the end of primary school in 63 education systems. It links test data from seven comparative studies that were conducted between 1970 and 2016 using a common achievement scale based on item response theory. We investigate whether mean gender gaps have widened or narrowed over time--controlling for changes in the sample of countries from measurement point to measurement point--using a system-level regression with fixed effects. We observe an advantage of girls over boys in reading in almost all countries, although the size of the gender gap varies considerably internationally. Further, we observe a significant increase in the international gender gap between 1971 and 2001 and a slight decrease since then.
Descriptors: Gender Differences, Reading Comprehension, Elementary School Students, Reading Achievement, Foreign Countries, Trend Analysis, Cultural Differences
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A