ABSTRACT
Recent meta-analyses of gender differences in mathematics performance indicate that generalizations as to the superiority of either gender are impossible (Feingold, 1989; Friedman, 1989; Hyde, Fennema and Lamon, 1989). The magnitude and direction of such differences depend on a number of factors. For instance, age, type of task, sample selection (Hyde, Fennema and Lamon, 1989), and the nature of the evaluation procedures (Kimball, 1989) all play a role. Female students appear to demonstrate superiority over their male counterparts on computational, numerical, and perceptual-speed tasks before high-school, with little or no difference after that time. However, on problem-solving and spatial tasks, male students seem to outperform females by the time they reach 13 years of age (Lummis and Stevenson, 1990; Xu and Farrell, 1992). Boys achieve higher scores on standardized tests, as well as in the mathematics classroom (Kimball, 1989). Quoting Academic Association of University Women, Streitmatter (1994) corroborates that both the National Association of Educational Progress and College Board data in the US indicate that males outscore females on test items that assess higher cognitive skills. Overall, the best one can conclude is that there appears to be a modest difference in mathematics performance in favour of male students.
