Gender and Mathematics Achievement in China and the United States |
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Authors: | Ming Tsui |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Millsaps College, Jackson, MS 39210, USA |
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Abstract: | This study examines the relationship between gender and mathematics achievement among students in China and the United States,
with an emphasis on the gender gap among mathematically talented students. The results show that in neither the US nor China
are there gender differences in eighth grade math-achievement test scores. In China, there are no gender differences in mean
college entrance examination math scores among high-school seniors, while in America, the mean SAT-Math score among male high-school
seniors has been consistently higher than those of their female counterparts. In both the US and China, there are gender differences
among the top math performers on college entrance examinations; boys are over-represented. The Chinese national mathematics
curriculum, well-trained teachers, beliefs by students and their parents that academic achievement is more a product of effort
than of natural ability, a gender-neutral parental expectation for children’s education, and generous family spending on the
education of girls are suggested as possible factors underlying the comparable performance of the Chinese female and male
students. The sorting system at Chinese secondary school level and a cultural stereotype favoring boys in mathematics are
suggested as possible contributors to the math-achievement gender gap found among the top Chinese high school seniors.
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Keywords: | Gender Math scores Top math students Stereotype threat China The United States |
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