Beyond the Average: Gender Gaps in International Mathematics and Science Achievement Along the Performance Distribution

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: International Research on STEM

Abstract

This paper provides a detailed look at gender gaps in mathematics and science achievement internationally by exploring the profiles of gender gaps using fourth- and eighth-grade data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) on 15-year-olds. Specifically the study explored, for more than 70 education systems, gender gaps in mean achievement and at the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles to determine if and how profiles of gender differences at different points in the distribution differ from profiles of gender differences in average achievement.

Authors

• Ebru Erberber, American Institutes for Research

• Yemurai Tsokodayi, American Institutes for Research