Performance on Specific Tests
The differences between the EXPLORE test scores by boys and girls has remained constant each year. In general, girls outperform boys in English, Reading, and on their overall Composite score. Boys, however, outperform girls in Mathematics. Interestingly, there are no differences between boys and girls in Science Reasoning.
As part of her Senior Honors Project, Heidi Doellinger worked with me to investigate the differences between the performance of boys and girls on the EXPLORE Mathematics test. We already knew that, in general, the boys outperformed the girls on the Mathematics test. The next logical question with regard to performance on math seemed to be whether there were differences in boys' and girls' performance on the type of math question, i.e., computation or basic concepts. An analysis of the responses to the items indicated that the boys did better on both types of questions.
Two new studies will look at English and Science Reasoning. Tsung-Hsun Tsai, a Belin-Blank Center graduate assistant, will look at the gender differences in English. Mary Hurd, a University of Iowa College of Education senior, will look at attitudes and attributes of girls and boys based upon their Science Reasoning scores.
By Susan Assouline