Geert Driessen (2011) ECER Gender differences in education

Gender differences in Education: Is there really a “boys’ problem”? Paper Annual Meeting ECER, Berlin (D), September 12-16 2011

Gender Differences in Education: Is there really a “boys’ problem”?

dr. Geert Driessen

ITS – Institute of Applied Social Sciences Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands

www.geertdriessen.nl

http://www.its-nijmegen.nl/


Background

1. To what degree does the position of boys in Dutch primary and secondary education differ from that of girls? 2. Have any differences between boys and girls increased during the last decades? 3. Is there a relation (interaction) with socio-ethnic background?

Research questions

2010: PISA, Questions in Dutch Parliament: “the gender gap”, “the boys’ problem”


The Dutch education system

Primary education

Pre-university education (VWO)

Senior general secondary education

(HAVO)Pre-vocational secondary

education (VMBO)

Senior secondary vocational education (MBO)

Higher professional education (HBO)

University (WO)

Basic secondary education

Age 4

Age 12

Age 18

Spec

ial p

rimar

y ed

ucati

onSp

ecial

seco

ndar

y ed

ucati

on

Practicaltraining (PRO)


Method

• Statistical analyses large-scale databases • Review of the international literature

Domains

Phase

Cognitive competencies

Non-cognitive competencies

School career characteristics

Primary education

Large-scale nation-wide cohort studies: PRIMA , COOL5-18 National Assessment of Educational Achievement studies:

PPON, JPO (CITO) National databases with population data: StatLine (CBS)

International comparative studies: TIMSS, PIRLS Secondary education Years 1-4

Large-scale nation-wide cohort studies: VOCL99, COOL5-18 National databases with population data:

Ministry of Education, StatLine (CBS) International comparative studies: PISA


Synthesizing results: Effect sizes

Large-scale quantitative analyses Statistical significance vs. empirical relevance Sample size ES = (mean score boys – mean score girls) / pooled standard deviation Interpretation (rule of the thumb, Jacob Cohen): 0.20 = small 0.50 = medium 0.80 = large


-0,4 -0,2 0 0,2 0,4

COOL Language grade 2 COOL Language grade 8 COOL Maths grade 2 COOL Maths grade 8 COOL Reading grade 8 CITO Final test Total CITO Language CITO Maths CITO Study skills

Cognitive competencies: primary education (COOL, CITO)

0

Negative: G > B Positive: B > G


-0,6 -0,4 -0,2 0 0,2

Vocabulary Spelling of verbs English Reading comprehension Maths Intelligence

Cognitive competencies: secondary education (COOL; grade 3)



Cognitive competencies: internationally comparative (PIRLS, TIMSS)

-0,4

-0,3

-0,2

-0,1

0

0,1

0,2

0,3

Reading (PIRLS) Maths (TIMSS) Science (TIMSS)

Aus Bel Ger E/UK Fra NL US Swe


-0,8 -0,6 -0,4 -0,2 0 0,2 0,4 0,6

Social behavior grade 2 Social behavior grade 8 Work attitude grade 2 Work attitude grade 8 Mastery grade 8 Performance/competition grade 8 Social motivation grade 8 Extrinsic motivation grade 8 Well-being w. teacher grade 8 Well-being w. peers grade 8 Self-efficacy grade 8 Task orientation grade 8

Non-cognitive competencies: primary education (COOL; grades 2 & 8)



-1 -0,5 0 0,5 1

Well-being w. teachers Well-being w. peers Extraversion Mildness Orderliness Emotional stability Autonomy Mastery Performance/competition Social motivation Extrinsic motivation Self-efficacy Task orientation

Non-cognitive competencies: secondary education (COOL; grade 3)


0


Cohort 2005/06: level in 4th year of secondary education

0% 50% 100%

Boys

Girls

drop-out pro bbl kbl gl/tl havo vwo

12 14 25 23 23

15 15 24 22 19

2

2

1

3


Cohort 2005/06: % sector and profile choice in grade 4

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Engeneering Care Economy Agriculture Science Society

Boys Girls

vmbo avo


Cohort 2005/06: % retention and drop-outs per transition

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

retention 1-2 drop-out 1-2 retention 2-3 drop-out 2-3 retention 3-4 drop-out 3-4

Boys Girls


Cohort 2005/06: transitions in secondary education (in %)

PRO VMBO AVO Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls

Transition to 2006/07: Lower level - - 2.4 1.5 6.2 3.0 Same level 91.2 89.9 92.2 90.3 92.9 95.7 Higher level 2.2 5.0 3.4 6.7 0.4 0.8 Drop-out 6.5 5.2 2.0 1.5 0.5 0.4 Transition to 2007/08: Lower level - - 5.7 4.0 8.0 5.7 Same level 92.3 88.5 86.9 87.0 90.9 93.1 Higher level 3.7 7.2 5.1 7.3 0.5 0.8 Drop-out 4.0 4.4 2.2 1.7 0.6 0.4 Transition to 2008/09: Lower level - - 3.2 2.8 6.6 7.2 Same level 87.9 88.6 91.5 92.4 92.0 91.6 Higher level 2.4 2.8 2.0 2.4 0.4 0.4 Drop-out 9.7 8.5 3.2 2.4 1.0 0.8


Cohort 2005/06: VMBO examination results (% pass rate and average grade)

92,593

93,594

94,595

95,596

96,597

97,5

% pass BBL % pass KBL % pass GL/TL

Boys Girls

6.4

6.3

6.2 6.5 6.3

6.6


Summary

• Cognitive: no systematic differences regarding test results

• Non-cognitive: boys less favorable regarding attitudes and behavior

• School careers: boys less favorable (Special Education, retention, lower levels, drop-out)

• No systematic correlation with social-ethnic background

• No changes last 5 - 10 years


However

• Explanations for differences: biological vs. social and cultural (nature-nurture)

• However: Little consensus regarding explanations

• Need for nuance: differences among boys and among girls bigger than those between boys and girls

• Feminists: ‘moral panic’, nothing new, men still more successful in society