High school girls and boys take largely similar math and science coursework, with girls more likely to complete biology and chemistry and boys more likely to complete physics and calculus¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r? · q2
Currency · newest study 2007 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2012: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Girls were more likely than boys to complete biology, AP or honors biology, and chemistry, while a greater percentage of boys completed physics and calculus. → Halpern 2007

Evidence¶

Halpern 2007¶

Halpern, D., Aronson, J., Reimer, N., Simpkins, S., Star, J., and Wentzel, K. (2007). Encouraging Girls in Math and Science (NCER 2007-2003). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Research, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/5

q2 · i? · associational · r?

Descriptive analysis of 2000 high school transcript data (Figure 2) reported in the overview. The guide states "a greater percentage of boys completed physics (34 percent) and calculus (12 percent) than girls (physics, 29 percent; calculus, 11 percent)"; percentages are descriptive only.

"girls were more likely to complete biology (girls, 93 percent; boys, 89 percent), advanced placement (AP) or honors biology (girls, 19 percent; boys, 14 percent), and chemistry (girls, 66 percent; boys, 58 percent) than boys were."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Gender — predictor: outcomes differ by group: a gap reflecting circumstances and treatment, not a cause

Related Claims¶

• Girls show less confidence and interest in math and science from early adolescence, and a strong math/science self-concept predicts course choice and performance for both genders — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• Women earn substantial shares of bachelor's degrees in most math and science fields but remain underrepresented in computer sciences, physics, and engineering — related
• Ninth-grade GPAs varied substantially by gender, race/ethnicity, neighborhood SES, incoming test scores, course level, and school — related
• Tenth grade perceived mathematics ability under challenge is the most influential predictor of advanced high school science course completion, and girls have 24.0% lower odds than boys of completing the most advanced science courses — related
• Once undergraduate-level mathematics and physics preparation is controlled, gender no longer significantly predicts performance in advanced STEM courses
• Girls and underrepresented minorities remain far below representative participation on AP computer science exams, though new exams show gains — related