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Girls fall behind in maths assessment Gender is re-emerging as an educational issue in Australia based on the latest findings from the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) released on 4 December. Results from the Australian national report prepared by ACER have revealed some worrying trends along gender lines. A significant decline in the mathematical achievement of Australian girls has been recorded since the previous cycle of assessment in 2003. In science, there was no significant difference in average scores achieved by girls and boys overall. However, there were differences within particular content areas and competencies. On average, Australian boys significantly outscored girls in areas involving physics and chemistry while girls outscored boys in areas of biological science. “These gender differences are rather disappointing given the considerable efforts made in the 1970s and 1980s to encourage girls to study non-traditional disciplines such as chemistry and physics,” said ACER’s chief executive Professor Geoff Masters. He noted that a number of the gaps that had emerged in this cycle of testing were not there previously. Across the OECD, on average, boys outperformed girls on science by a small but significant margin. PISA assesses the reading, mathematical and scientific literacy skills of 15-year-olds every three years. The main focus of the assessment is different on each occasion: 2000 (Reading Literacy), 2003 (Mathematical Literacy), 2006 (Scientific Literacy). In Australia, 356 schools and 14 170 students participated in PISA. The testing occurred during a six-week period from late July to early September in 2006. The international report Science Competencies for Tomorrow’s World was released by the OECD in Paris this evening Australian time and is available from www.oecd.org. The Australian report Exploring Scientific Literacy: How Australia measures up by Sue Thomson and Lisa De Bortoli is available from the PISA national website. « Back to eNews
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Gender is re-emerging as an educational issue in Australia based on the latest findings from the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) released on 4 December.

Results from the Australian national report prepared by ACER have revealed some worrying trends along gender lines.

A significant decline in the mathematical achievement of Australian girls has been recorded since the previous cycle of assessment in 2003.

In science, there was no significant difference in average scores achieved by girls and boys overall. However, there were differences within particular content areas and competencies.

On average, Australian boys significantly outscored girls in areas involving physics and chemistry while girls outscored boys in areas of biological science.

“These gender differences are rather disappointing given the considerable efforts made in the 1970s and 1980s to encourage girls to study non-traditional disciplines such as chemistry and physics,” said ACER’s chief executive Professor Geoff Masters.

He noted that a number of the gaps that had emerged in this cycle of testing were not there previously.

Across the OECD, on average, boys outperformed girls on science by a small but significant margin.

PISA assesses the reading, mathematical and scientific literacy skills of 15-year-olds every three years. The main focus of the assessment is different on each occasion: 2000 (Reading Literacy), 2003 (Mathematical Literacy), 2006 (Scientific Literacy).

In Australia, 356 schools and 14 170 students participated in PISA. The testing occurred during a six-week period from late July to early September in 2006.

The international report Science Competencies for Tomorrow’s World was released by the OECD in Paris this evening Australian time and is available from www.oecd.org.

The Australian report Exploring Scientific Literacy: How Australia measures up by Sue Thomson and Lisa De Bortoli is available from the PISA national website.

Girls fall behind in maths assessment