This 2009 study entitled "Gender Differences in College Preparedness" examined the following questions related to gender & college readiness:
"1. What is the difference in the percentages of boys and girls who were deemed to be college-ready graduates in reading, in math, and in both subjects in the state of Texas?
"2. What is the difference in the percentages of boys and girls who took the SAT or ACT in the 2005–2006 and the 2006–2007 school years?
"3. What is the difference in the percentages of boys and girls who were at or above the SAT or ACT criterion in the 2005–2006 and the 2006–2007 school years?
"4. What is the difference in the ACT averages of boys and girls in the 2005–2006 and the 2006–2007 school years?
"5. What is the difference in the SAT averages of boys and girls in the 2005–2006 and the 2006–2007 school years?"
The researchers found that while not even a third of students surveyed were determined to be "college-ready" in both reading and math based on their SAT & ACT scores, large gaps in the percentage of college ready students persisted (girls being stronger in reading and boys being stronger in math). Girls had slightly higher rates of preparedness in both areas than boys did.
I thought that this was a very interesting study. I did a paper in another grad class about the differences in education between men and women and how they learn. It seems like when students go to college, they have trouble not only with academics, but especially with adjusting to college life when it comes to organization and how much more ownership they need to take of their learning. I wonder if women have less trouble with this transition than men given the old supposition that women mature faster than men. It would be interesting to see the difference in preparation when it came to these things...they may just be harder to measure.
ReplyDeleteFirst, it is hard to wrap my mind around the fact that not even a third of students surveyed were determined to be "college ready" in reading and math. If that is true, then our education system is truly broken. It is also intersting that we are still seeing the "boys are better at math" results in test scores. That issue was identified many years ago. Teachers and parents are aware that they should encourage both girls and boys to excel in math, and special programs have been created to promote math and science. I wonder if the disparity will ever disappear.
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