Gender differences in mathematics achievement at age 10

Abstract

Halpern suggests that females are better at tasks requiring rapid retrieval of information from memory, whilst males are better at tasks requiring manipulation of information stored in long term memory. This study seeks to test whether Halpern's hypothesis is substantiated through a comparison of girls' and boys' responses on a National Paper in Mathematics and a Less Predictable test, constructed by the authors. The National Paper was considered to include more predictable items, requiring more retrieval of information from memory, whilst the Less Predictable Paper, being less familiar, the use of manipulation of information stored in memory was more necessary. It was also considered necessary to compare results by the ability of the pupils. The sample consisted of 180 pupils who were all the ten year old pupils attending a primary school situated in a sub-urban area in the South of Malta. Analysis done on the whole sample was repeated for pupils in streams A to E and those in streams A to B. No clear effect of predictability on sex-related differences in Mathematics achievement resulted. It was also noticed that the boys in the lower streams were lowering the overall performance of the male population.