Student learning outcomes from a gender perspective What do international assessments tell us? Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

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Student learning outcomes from a gender perspective

What do international assessments tell us?

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

Washington, 2 October 2007

Andreas SchleicherHead, Indicators and Analysis Division

OECD Directorate for Education

4444

How gender patterns in education have changed in the industrialised

world

A story of rapid progress

555555

%

1. Excluding ISCED 3C short programmes 2. Year of reference 20043. Including some ISCED 3C short programmes 3. Year of reference 2003.

Growth in baseline qualificationsA world of change

Approximated by percentage of persons with high school or equivalent qualfications in the age groups 55-64, 45-55, 45-44 und 25-34 years

13

1

1

27

777777 Growth in university-level qualificationsApproximated by the percentage of persons with ISCED 5A/6

qualification born in the age groups shown below (2005)

%

A1.3a 1. Year of reference 2004.2. Year of reference 2003.

888888

Gender difference in percentage points

A8.3

Rising female participation in university education explains much of this expansion

Gender difference in university attainment in percentage points

Men have higher

attainmentWomen have

higher attainment

Example 1: 22% of older Japanese men have a university degree, only 5% women do so35% of younger men have a university degree, 21% of younger women do

Example 2: 32% of older US American men have a university degree, only 25% women do so27% of younger men have a university degree, 33% of younger women do

999999 How could the future look like?Percentage of 15-year-old boys and girls expecting to

complete university (2003)

0 20 40 60 80 100

Girls

020406080100

SwitzerlandGermanyNorway*AustriaPoland*DenmarkUnited Kingdom*1Sweden*France*Iceland*Czech Republic*Belgium*Slovak Republic*SpainNetherlandsSpain*LuxembourgMexico*Italy*Portugal*Ireland*Hungary*Finland*JapanCanada*Australia*Greece*United States*Turkey*Korea

Boys

*Statistically significant difference girls > boys

101010101010 In some sectors large gender differences persist

Number of tertiary science graduates per 100 000 employed 25-to-34-year-olds (2005)

A3.4

11111111

Where we are - and where we can be

A review of gender differences in performance and student attitudes in today’s schools around the world

13131313Coverage of world economy 77%81%83%85%86%87%

PISA - OECD’s global assessment of what students know and can do with their

knowledge

14141414Deciding what to assess...

looking back at what students were expected to have learned

…or…

looking ahead to how well they can extrapolate from what they have

learned and apply their knowledge and skills in novel settings.

For PISA, the OECD countries chose the latter.

15151515 Average performanceof 15-year-olds in mathematics (PISA 2003)

High mathematics performance

Low mathematics performance

TurkeyUruguay

I ndonesia

I taly Portugal

Latvia United StatesSpain

NorwayHungaryPolandLuxembourg

Slovak Republic

AustriaGermanyI reland

DenmarkFranceSweden

Czech RepublicI celand

Australia

J apanBelgium

New ZealandSwitzerlandMacao- China

CanadaNetherlandsFinland

Hong Kong- China

KoreaLiechtenstein

Russia

Greece

Serbia

Thailand

Mexico

BrazilTunisia

350

400

450

500

550

16161616 Average performanceof 15-year-olds in mathematics

Low average performance

Large socio-economic disparities

High average performance



High social equity


High social equity

Strong socio-economic impact

on student performance

Socially equitable distribution of

learning opportunities

TurkeyUruguay

I ndonesia

I taly Portugal

Latvia United StatesSpain

NorwayHungaryPolandLuxembourg

Slovak Republic

AustriaGermanyI reland

DenmarkFranceSweden


Australia

J apanBelgium

New ZealandSwitzerlandMacao- China

CanadaNetherlandsFinland

Hong Kong- China

KoreaLiechtenstein

Russia

Greece

Serbia

Thailand

Mexico

BrazilTunisia

350

400

450

500

550High mathematics performance


17171717






High social equity


High social equity

Strong socio-economic impact

on student performance

Socially equitable distribution of

learning opportunities

High mathematics performance


Turkey Uruguay

I ndonesia

I talyPortugal

LatviaUnited States Spain

NorwayHungary Poland

LuxembourgSlovak Republic

AustriaGermany I reland

DenmarkFrance Sweden


Australia

J apanBelgium

New ZealandSwitzerland Macao- China

CanadaNetherlands

FinlandHong Kong- China

KoreaLiechtenstein

Russia

Greece

Serbia

Thailand

Mexico

BrazilTunisia

350

400

450

500

550

181818181818

-60 -40 -20 0 20 40

LiechtensteinKoreaDenmarkNew ZealandSlovak RepublicLuxembourgGreeceCanadaSwitzerlandMexicoRussian FederationMacao-ChinaPolandPortugalI talyBrazilGermanyCzech RepublicNetherlandsUnited StatesSwedenJ apanUruguaySpainI relandNorwayI ndonesiaTurkeyBelgiumFranceAustraliaHungaryAustriaHong Kong-ChinaLatviaSerbiaFinlandThailandTunisiaI celand

Performance in science

Females perform better

Males perform better

-60 -40 -20 0 20 40

Performance in problem solving



OECD (2004), Learning for tomorrow’s world: First results from PISA 2003, Table 6.7, p.449.OECD (2004), Problem solving for tomorrow’s world: First results from PISA 2003.

Science and problem solving

191919191919

-60 -40 -20 0 20 40

I celandThailandSerbiaLatviaI ndonesiaHong Kong-ChinaNetherlandsAustraliaPolandNorwayUnited StatesSwedenFinlandBelgiumAustriaHungaryJ apanFranceSpainGermanyRussian FederationMexicoCanadaUruguayTunisiaPortugalNew ZealandI relandCzech RepublicTurkeyBrazilDenmarkSwitzerlandLuxembourgI talySlovak RepublicGreeceMacao-ChinaKoreaLiechtenstein

Performance in mathematics



-60 -40 -20 0 20 40Performance in reading



Mathematics and reading

202020202020Low performing boys and girlsPercentage of students at or below PISA level 1

%

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80Fin

land

Korea

Netherla

nds

Canada

Denm

ark

Sw

itzerla

nd

Japan

New

Zeala

nd

Australia

Irela

nd

Czech R

epublic

Sw

eden

France

Belg

ium

Slo

vak R

epublic

Icela

nd

Austria

Luxem

bourg

Norw

ay

Germ

any

Hungary

Spain

Pola

nd

Unit

ed S

tates

Portugal

Italy

Greece

Turkey

Mexic

o

Males Females

Performance in mathematics

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Performance in reading

OECD (2004), Learning for tomorrow’s world: First results from PISA 2003, Tables 2.5b, 6.5, pp.355, 447.

212121212121 Gender differences in student performanceSome observations

In reading, girls are far ahead In all countries, girls significantly outperform boys in reading

In mathematics, boys tend to be somewhat ahead In most countries, boys outperform girls

… but mostly by modest amounts…… and mainly because boys are overrepresented

among top-performers while boys and girls tend to be equally represented in the “at risk” group

– Within classrooms and schools, the gender gap is often larger Strong problem-solving performance for girls suggests…

… that it is not the cognitive processes underlying mathematics that give boys an advantage…

… but the context in which mathematics appears in school

Why is the mathematics performance difference in PISA smaller than in other assessments?

Girls better on open-ended tasks (which dominate PISA) Boys tend to do better on multiple-choice tasks (which

dominate other assessments)

222222222222Motivational patterns and math

performance

-0.8

-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0 0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

LI EKORMACGRCSVKLUXI TADENI RLCHECZETUNNZLTURPRT

MEXCANURYRUSESPFRAFI NDEUJ PNHUNAUT

SWEBEL

NORUSAPOLAUSNLDI NDHKGLATYUGTHAI SL

Performance in

mathematics

Higher FemalesHigher Males

-0.8

-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 -0.8

-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8

Interest in mathematics

-0.8

-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8

Instrumental motivation

Higher FemalesHigher Males Higher FemalesHigher Males Higher FemalesHigher Males

Anxiety in mathematics

262626262626Do attitudes matter?

Gender difference in interest in math among 15-year-oldsand gender differences in math/computer university graduates

Gender difference (M-F) in iinstrumental motivation in mathematics at 15 years-old (2003)

A3.51. Percentage of females graduated in mathematics and computing for tertiary-type A and

advanced programmes.2. The greater the gender difference, the less females are motivated compared to males.

R2=0.35

15-year-old boys show higher math interest

15-year-old boys and girls show equal math interest

Equal proportions of male and female math/computer graduates

272727272727 Gender differences in attitudesSome observations

In mathematics, attitudinal differences are far more pronounced than performance differences

Girls report much lower interest in mathematics, less self-belief as mathematics learners, less motivation to use mathematics in the future and much greater anxiety when learning mathematics

Boys perform slightly better than girls in mathematics, but are much more confident and less anxious learning mathematics…

Attitudinal patterns of school children are closely matched by current study and career choices, much more closely than performance patterns

292929292929

A9.2

Relative earnings from employment (2005 or latest available year)

By level of educational attainment and gender for 25-to-64-year-olds (upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education=100)

1. Year of reference 2002. 3. Year of reference 2004.2. Year of reference 2003. 4. Year of reference 2005.

323232323232

%

A9.3

Differences in earnings between females and males (2005 or latest available year)

Average female earnings as a percentage of male earnings (30 to 44 age group), by level of educational attainment

33333333Gender differences – policy levers

National educ., social and economic context

Structures, resource alloc.

and policies

Social & economic

outcomes of education

Community and school

characteristics

Student learning, teacher working

conditions

Socio-economic background of

learners

Antecedentscontextualise or

constrain ed policy

The learning environment at

school

Teaching, learning

practices and classroom

climate

Individ attitudes, engagement and

behaviour

Output and performance of

institutions

Quality of instructional

delivery

Quality and distribution of knowledge &

skills

Policy Leversshape educational

outcomes

Outputs and Outcomes

impact of learning

Individual learner

LevelA

Instructional settings

LevelB

Schools, other institutions

LevelC

Country or system

LevelD

Domain 3Domain 2Domain 1

34343434

Thank you !Thank you !

www.pisa.oecd.org– All national and international publications– The complete micro-level database

email: [email protected]

[email protected]

…and remember:

Without data, you are just another person with an opinion

35353535High ambitions

and clear standards

Access to best practice and quality

professional development

Sympathy doesn’t raise standards – aspiration does PISA suggests that students and schools

perform better in a climate characterised by high expectations and the readiness to invest effort, the enjoyment of learning, a strong disciplinary climate, and good teacher-student relations– Among these aspects, students’ perception of

teacher-student relations and classroom disciplinary climate display the strongest relationships

36363636 Challenge and support

Weak support

Strong support

Lowchallenge

Highchallenge

Strong performance

Systemic improvement

Poor performance

Improvements idiosyncratic

Conflict

Demoralisation

Poor performance

Stagnation




Accountability and intervention in inverse proportion

to success

Devolved responsibility,

the school as the centre of action

39393939Strong ambitions



Accountability

Devolvedresponsibility,


Integrated educational opportunities

Individualisedlearning

The quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its

teachers




Accountabilityand intervention in inverse proportion

to success

Individualisedlearning

Devolved responsibility,


Integrated educational opportunities

Student learning outcomes from a gender perspective What do international assessments tell us? Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

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