ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the information on the relative performance of boys and girls during the school years and highlights the importance of examining gender and ethnic groups together. It also reviews the complex interconnections of gender, race and achievement and indicates the value of an accompanying and more fine-grained analysis of self-perceptions and classroom interactions. The evidence from studies that have used systematic observation methods and numerical analysis shows a clear tendency for girls to receive less interaction than boys. There is a suggestion that after the age of about 9 years girls receive progressively less instruction from teachers. It is often said that within many schools there is peer pressure against seeming to be too good at schoolwork, and it can be difficult to persuade boys in particular that it is cool to want to learn at school. Motivational processes have been linked to gender differences in classroom processes and academic achievement.
