The Gender Gap at a Maryland School

Sarah-Jane Thomas

Ph.D. Student, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

sthomasg@gmu.edu

 

INTRODUCTION
            John Hanson French Immersion (JHFI) School services grades K-8, and is located in Oxon Hill, MD.  All core classes, beginning in kindergarten, are taught in French.  In third grade, students begin participating in statewide standardized testing in the areas of reading and Math.  JHFI students generally score very highly on the reading assessment, scoring 81.1% proficiency in reading in the school year 2009-2010 (PGCPS, 2010).

In this paper, I will examine the achievement gaps between adolescent males and females at JHFI.  The middle school grades are crucial, because studies report that the achievement gap widens at this precise level (Center on Education, 2009; Clark et al., 2008).  The current breakdown of the JHFI middle school is as follows:

Figure 1 - Middle School Breakdown by Grade and Gender

Grade Level	Number of Males	Number of Females	Total
6th	15	23	38
7th	11	20	31
8th	10	12	22
Total	36	55	91

 

First, I will conduct a brief literature review, then collect data using mixed methods, by quantitatively analyzing student interview responses.  Finally, I will speak with the school's data coach to brainstorm solutions to close this gender achievement gap.

 

 

LITERATURE REVIEW

The gender gap in academic achievement is not limited only to John Hanson; it is a nationwide (Gentry and Buck, 2010; Watson et al., 2010) and worldwide phenomenon (Gibb et al., 2008; Langen et al., 2006), which later affects graduation rates and employment status. 

In Maryland, where JHFI is located, reports show statewide gaps between male and female students in the subjects of both reading and math.  These results were collected from the Maryland State Assessment, a standardized test taken by all Maryland students between third and eighth grades.  In the area of reading, the Center on Education (2009) reports that Maryland 8^th grade females showed an increase between the years 2003 and 2008 from 65% to 78% proficiency, while males rose from 55% to 68%.  However, this gap appears to be slowly closing; females have increased proficiency at an average of 2.5 points per year, while males have increased at a rate of 2.7 points.

In math, however, the numbers tell a different tale.  During the 2002-2003 school year, females slightly outperformed males at 41% and 39%, respectively.  By 2008, the gap had widened, with females achieving 64% proficiency (average yearly gain of 4.6%), and 60% of males demonstrating proficiency (average yearly gain of 4.3%). 

In high school, many students have the option of taking STEM (science, technology, engineering, and Mathematics) advanced classes (Laird et al., 2009).  In 2005,  the researchers found that females tended to take Algebra II, Advanced Biology, Chemistry, and Health Science/Technology, while males earned more credit in Physics, Engineering, Engineering/Science Technologies, and Computer/Information Science.  They did not find a significant gender gap in the Science and Engineering areas; however, there was a slight gender gap favoring males in Technical Courses.

In their research, Clark et al. studied underlying causes of male underachievement.  Possible factors for underperformance included "lack of male role models in school, cultural attitudes about gender expectations, disinterest in subject matter, lack of organization and planning for the future, learning styles, and the need for physical space and movement (p. 127)."  In the next section, I will share results of interviews with male and female students, which will illuminate some causes of the gender gap at John Hanson French Immersion School.

 

STUDENT PERSPECTIVES

            Clark et al. further hypothesized that a gender-based achievement gap exists because females typically found coursework more meaningful, and relevant to their future.  Conversely, boys tended to focus more on the present, and academic achievement was not as high of a priority as social status amongst peers.  Watson et al. partially attributed the problem to media representations of traditional notions of gender.  But what did JHFI middle school students have to say?

            Methodology.  Two 7^th grade middle school students, a male and a female, were trained on basic interview techniques.  These students were chosen because of their participation in the Technology and Gaming Strategies class that I teach.  I believed that students would be more willing to share their true perspectives if they were interviewed by their participant-observer peers, as opposed to me, an outsider of sorts.  Two research questions were being studied:

1.     What is your favorite subject, and why?

2.     What is your least favorite subject, and why?

These research questions were chosen to gain perspective on whether JHFI students' preferences would align with statewide and national findings, as reported by the Center on Education and Laird et al. 

The students utilized the Flip camera to record participant responses, and I later transcribed these responses for use in this study.  As promised to students, the videos were later erased to maintain anonymity.

            Results.  Overall, 27 middle school students (29.67% of the JHFI Middle School population) were interviewed for this study.  This volunteer sample was comprised of four sixth grade boys (26.67%), seven sixth grade girls (30.43%), three seventh grade boys (27.27%), seven seventh grade girls (35.00%), four eighth grade boys (40.00%), and two eighth grade girls (16.67%).  Eleven boys were interviewed, comprising 40.74% of the sample.  This proportion of gender reflects the overall JHFI middle school composition, with 39.56% of the population being male.

            This data set was entirely nominal, thus the only measure of central tendency analyzed was the mode. In terms of favorite subject amongst the students, math was the most popular choice.  It was the mode in the data collected, having been reported 15 times.   The data was multimodal, in terms of least favorite subject, with the students reporting English, Math, and Italian each six times.

            Favorite subject.  Overall, males strongly preferred math, with nine out of eleven (81.81%) reporting it as their favorite subject.  The female response was not as overwhelming, but the data show that girls also preferred math, with six out of sixteen participants (37.50%) identifying the subject as their favorite.

            Rationale for favorite subject.  When citing reasons for picking their favorite subject, students tended to choose subjects in which they showed a natural aptitude, providing responses such as, "I'm good at it," or "It's easy."  This aptitude was the case in eleven (40.74%) of the observations.  Males cited aptitude four times (36.36%), while females attributed the quality eight times (50.00%).

            Link between favorite subject and rationale.  While the most popular subject of the students at JHFI was math, and the most popular rationale was student aptitude, the two observations occurred simultaneously in seven different cases, or 25.93% of the time.  For males, this occurred three times (33.33%), and for females, it occurred four times (25.00%).

            Least favorite subject.  The mode least favorite subject was English, occurring in six of the 27 cases (22.22%).  Males accounted for four of the six cases, with 44.44% of the participants reporting English as their least favorite subject.  Interestingly, five of sixteen (31.25%) females chose math as their least favorite subject, making it the mode for that gender subgroup.

            Rationale for least favorite subject.  Five students (18.51%) disliked their chosen subject areas, because they did not feel a rapport with their teacher(s), expressing comments such as, "(s)/he's mean," or "(s)/he doesn't like me."  This feeling of disconnect with the instructor was the most-cited reason for students dislike of a content area.  While many females (25.00%) chose not to provide a rationale, "no rapport with the instructor" and "difficulty of content" were both the most popular reasons among males, each with two different observations (22.22%).

             Link between least favorite subject and rationale.  With the mode least favorite subject of English, and mode rationale of "no rapport with the teacher," the data were examined in order to see how many times the two observations occurred simultaneously.  This piece of data only occurred once (3.70%), from a seventh grade male.

The results of the action research project, as reported by the students, are summarized in Figure 2.  Following the table are some excerpts of interviews with students, and how they relate to literature in the field.

Figure 2.  Findings

Grade	Gender	Favorite Subject	Rationale	Least Favorite Subject	Rationale
6	Male	Math	N/A	English	N/A
6	Male	Math	Aptitude	English	Does not do his homework
6	Male	Math	Likes content	N/A	N/A
6	Male	Math/Science	N/A	English	Feels that he already knows it
6	Female	Math	Likes teacher	Italian	No rapport with teacher
6	Female	Math	Aptitude	Italian	N/A
6	Female	Science	Novelty	N/A	N/A
6	Female	English	Challenge	Math	Does not like  content
6	Female	Math	Problem-solving skills	English	Difficulty
6	Female	Math	Aptitude	French	Difficulty
6	Female	Dance	Aptitude	English	Self-described behavior issues
7	Male	Math/Science	Aptitude	Social Studies	Difficulty
7	Male	Math	Good grades	English	No rapport with teacher
7	Male	Science/French	Aptitude	Math	Difficulty
7	Female	Math	Aptitude	Science	No rapport with teacher
7	Female	Math	Aptitude	Science	No rapport with teacher
7	Female	English	Good comprehension	Math	N/A
7	Female	Science	Relevant to desired career path	Math	Does not like content
7	Female	English	Aptitude	Math	N/A
7	Female	Science	Aptitude	Math	N/A
7	Female	Physical Education	Opportunity for movement	Science	N/A
8	Male	Math	Challenge	Social Studies	No rapport with teacher
8	Male	Math	Aptitude	Social Studies	Unfair grading
8	Male	Science	Rewards from teacher	Italian	Unhappy with placement
8	Male	Math	Good rapport with teacher	Italian	Boredom; lack of understanding
8	Female	Physical Education	N/A	Social Studies	Not learning
8	Female	Science	Fun	Social Studies	Boredom

Discussion.  The results of the interviews were mainly echoed in the research of the Educational Testing Service (1989), who found that males tend to outscore females in the subject areas of  math and science, while females generally do better in reading and writing.  Twenty-one years later, this phenomenon continues to hold true at JHFI.

Males.  One sixth grade boy stated that he likes math because he enjoys numbers and money.  This student's high level of intrinsic motivation was evidenced by his 4.0 grade point average.  In contrast, several others also chose math as their favorite subject, but for a different reason.  As one student expressed, "[the teacher] gives us snacks." 

Another boy in the sixth grade chose math and science as his favorite subjects, since they both involved math, and elaborated that he was "in love with math."  This child did not like English because, "it's boring.  It's our national language and everybody knows it.  There's no point in learning it."

Although his answer is questionable, this young man hit on a very important aspect of the achievement gap: boredom.  In 1996, Small et al. examined student motivation as a function of achievement and found that many students believe that teachers are responsible for their interest or boredom with a particular topic.  When this occurs, shift of blame puts the locus of control outside the individual student, and may therefore hinder achievement.

An eighth grader liked math because he enjoyed his teacher, but did not like his Italian class because, "it's boring and [he] can't understand the teacher." This student has highlighted another root cause of the achievement gap, particularly in regards to disengagement.  Language and culture interact to play a critical role in education (Lee et al., 2006), and without clarification, students may not be able to grasp necessary content in order to achieve.  However, this particular student could benefit from taking matters into his own hands, and asking follow-up questions for material that he does not understand.

Females.  A 6^th grade female student seemed to enjoy classes more when she had a rapport with teachers.  She stated that her math teacher is "the only nice one."  Hull et al. (2010) also recognized the need for rapport between students and teachers, in order to increase student achievement.  The rapport factor was the most cited as the reason for student disengagement at JHFI.  Thus, teachers may benefit from professional development in this area.

Given that math was the favorite subject of many females at the school, the interviews conducted with females at JHFI do not necessarily reflect the national trends, as reported by the Center on Education.  However, some female students did show a strong preference for English over math.  In an interview, a seventh grade student eloquently stated, "I like English because I comprehend it the most," but later said that she does not understand math. 

Another seventh grader shared that she enjoyed math and science because she wanted to work as a chemist when she got older.  Montgomery (1990) studied females similar to this student, who showed early signs of excellence in math, and found that many of them who entered mathematically oriented career paths attributed their choices to early family influences and educational opportunities.  Thus, the choices made by our students can have long-lasting influences over the course of their lives.

  Limitations.  These interviews comprised an action research project, conducted for the purposes of identifying achievement gaps at her school, thus the results cannot be generalized.  The project,  used a convenience sample, had a limited number of participants.  In addition, the research questions were fairly limited, since the interviews were conducted by middle school students, and studied the responses of other middle school students.  MSA data scores were not available by gender, which would have helped to guide the research in this study. 

Future research in this area can be conducted utilizing random sampling, a larger number of participants, and more detailed observations.  Grade point average can also be factored in, in light of student responses.  Finally, statistical analysis on the data can be conducted to establish significance and validity of the results.

 

SOLUTIONS

            The National Center for Education Statistics (2010) reported that, nationwide, eighth grade scores have improved, and the gender gap is on the decline.  NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) further described average scale scores in Maryland of 262 for males and 272 for females in the 2009 school year, which were slightly higher than nationwide averages (males: 258, females: 267).  Stedman (2009) further states that "over the past three decades, high school gender gaps have been small - much smaller than gaps by race and ethnicity - and the achievement trends for boys and girls has been similar (p. 21)."

Several researchers have identified strategies to close gender gaps.  Although they are male-oriented, they may be of use to female students as well.  Watson et al. recommended playing to boys' academic strengths and interests in order to help them succeed academically. 

Similarly, in the research project conducted by Clark et al., the researchers created a 12-week strengths-based program, which served to holistically motivate eighth grade boys, particularly regarding academics.  It was based on the tenets of: a) helping males to envision the future with positive roles and outcomes for themselves; b) teaching and reinforcing organizational and study skills; c) examining the learning environment, to include physical space, movement, learning styles, and materials/tools; d) promoting positive role models; and e) grouping students by gender and in small group settings (p. 128).  This program yielded positive academic results for most of the boys, and helped to reduce the number of discipline referrals for the group.

At JHFI, teachers and administrators have provided support to students in several ways.  Students are pulled out from their creative arts classes twice a week for twenty-minute small group instruction, where they work on indicators in reading and in math.

Advanced students may participate in higher level, more challenging classes.  Middle school students participate in honors English classes.  Students from grades 3-8 may take math classes in the next grade level, if they perform highly in the subject. 

JHFI also utilizes technology to meet the academic needs of students.  Study Island is a web-based program, which allows students to play games in order to refresh their knowledge in the areas of reading and math.  Currently, third and fourth grades are the only levels with a subscription, but the remaining grades will soon have subscriptions as well.

Students may also participate in after-school activities to get support for their academics.  Students in grades 3-5 take part in the Homework Club, which meets twice a week after school, and allows students to ask questions about concepts that they may not have grasped in school.  For middle school students, MSA preparatory courses are also available.

JHFI's data coach, Alain Moise, stated that the gender achievement gap at JHFI has narrowed since 2007.  With strategies such as those listed above, the gender gap will continue to close, and students will surely improve.
REFERENCES

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