Gender differences in Education Paper ECER 2011 Berlin

1. 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

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

3. Gender differences in Education: Is there really a “boys’ problem”?
Paper Annual Meeting ECER, Berlin (D), September 12-16 2011
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
Specialprimary
education
Specialsecondary
education
Practical
training
(PRO)

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. Gender differences in Education: Is there really a “boys’ problem”?
Paper Annual Meeting ECER, Berlin (D), September 12-16 2011
-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)
Negative: G > B Positive: B > G
0

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

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

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

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

15. Gender differences in Education: Is there really a “boys’ problem”?
Paper Annual Meeting ECER, Berlin (D), September 12-16 2011
Cohort 2005/06: VMBO examination results (% pass rate and average grade)
92,5
93
93,5
94
94,5
95
95,5
96
96,5
97
97,5
% pass BBL % pass KBL % pass GL/TL
Boys Girls
6.4
6.3
6.2 6.5
6.3
6.6

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

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