Another sexist sterotype debunked
Girls 'are the equal of boys at maths', a scientific study reveals
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 3:13 AM on 07th January 2010
Girls perform just as well as boys in mathematics, a study shows
Girls are just as good at maths as boys but fail to pursue the subject because they lack confidence in their abilities, a global study has found.
Research among almost half a million students in 69 countries debunked the myth that boys are better at maths.
But the stereotype is putting talented girls off following careers related to the subject, such as engineering, information technology and science, according to the U.S. researchers.
The study, by a team from Villanova University in Philadelphia, was based on international tests taken by 493,495 students.
Professor Nicole Else-Quest, from the university, said: ‘These results show that girls will perform at the same level as the boys when they are given the right educational tools and have visible female role models excelling in mathematics.
‘Stereotypes about female inferiority in mathematics are a distinct contrast to the scientific data.’
She said the results showed an even spread of scores between girls and boys.
The research, published in the American Psychological Association’s Psychological Bulletin, also looked at the level of confidence both boys and girls had when completing the tests.
‘Despite overall similarities in math skills, boys felt significantly more confident in their abilities than girls did and were more motivated to do well,’ said Professor Else-Quest.
The findings came as a survey, commissioned by publishers Random House, found that parents increasingly lack the confidence to help their children with their primary school maths homework.
More than half the 1,000 parents interviewed said they would be unable to explain number bonds and the grid method – two modern maths concepts – to their children.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1241216/Girls-equal-boys-maths.h...
So long and still no girl answered a simple mathematical problem I asked...
**** Aal Izz Well****
well, there are still women out there who want to be controlled and cared and hate to be independant. You are just not aware of other cultures. Do you think physical strenght is a measure of power?
I don't know about the feminist movement. Im very poor in history. But thanks to liberation men no longer need to love them or become their slaves...They are liberated from some bond as well!!
I don't think women ever chose to be controlled, I don't think we had a choice because of our physical weakness, as for "liberating" us, you don't know much about the feminist movement do you?
They controlled you because you chose to be controlled now they liberated you because you so desire...
Men were never cruel!
Anyway, cheers...
In the past men, since they've controlled our access to everything. Nowadays with less rules placed against us we can give opportunities to each other and create our own much easier.
well then who gives opportunities?
You can't grasp opportunities you aren't given and EVERYONE needs encouragement.
Why people fail to grasp opportunities and who need encouragement?
May be.
Olive: Sorry for the small hijack.It was irresistible. :)
Yes, because they haven't been given the same opportunities and encouragement as men.
stupider and weaker..
blablubliblrrrr is it a coincidence?
I admitted women remained what so far?
But you admitted women remained so far!
My nick sounds similar to you.. :)
well olive, who will remain stupider and weaker?
Hopefully neither sex.
I think in the beginning men's domination came from their physical dominance and the fact that they weren't weakened by pregnancy and childbirth, not because of a mental difference. Those differences became further ingrained by arbitrary rules put forward in religions, culture more's and values, etc. Frankly, in the case of men, keeping women stupider and weaker was a way of keeping us period.
could be also, Olive.
For centuries (except of matriarchal period) a MAN has been a Head, a decision maker, a Master … but again WHY it happened that a man became such dominant force, rather than a woman?
even IF it is a discrimination, obviously the stronger party oppresses the weaker one. Why women became a “weaker” party?
we can again refer to history, where a women is homemakers, and a man is the breadwinner and protector ...We don’t know whether woman’s brain setup transformed during the human evaluation, adjusting to her particular role in the society, or she took this particular role in the society due to her certain brain setup.
It’s all one circle, where no one cannot know what is the cause and what is effect.
But you are right, maybe if women could be fully emancipated from their original purpose, the entire history of gender relations could take a different route…
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"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small compared to what lies within us."
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Lady Lovelace is the first computer programmer!
...and all these years I never came across this myth. Infact till higher secondary the class topper in Maths,Physics and Chemistry happened to be girls by default.
Source:
- A study Conducted by FriedUnicorn - Vol I (September,1999)
Do you not understand what the study is saying king_qatar?
a study..
but go to any engineering class and you'll see for urself
That's the thing QS, maybe it has nothing to do with men & women's brains, simply that women aren't encouraged and in some cases actively discouraged from learning and applying their knowledge. Personally I think there's very little difference between men's and women's brains and its education and upbringing that make the difference.
Olive, i guess it has somthing to do with the nature of man's and woman's brain.
Men’s brain is built differently. The target is to find the solution.
Let’s say, when woman complains, all she wants is just to talk about her bad experience. She finishes talking, and she feels that her mission is completed. For man, the information received out of her talk/complain is a signal for action/resolving the problem.
WHY? God knows.
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"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small compared to what lies within us."
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Ok let's check.. Girls without using calculator can you give me an approx value of Natural log of 200 ;)
**** Aal Izz Well****
Gica Contra, I have graduated from math school.. Ratio boys to girls was 3:1
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"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small compared to what lies within us."
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Is that because girls can't do that Qatarisun or is because they aren't taught to or given the confidence to?
Olive, my personal opinion:
girls might perform just as well as boys in mathematics, i.e. have the same level of knowledge/awareness/understanding.
But...we can see a big difference when it comes to APPLYING the knowledge. To possess the knowledge is great, but it is only part of the progress. One has to know/to see how to use it for his/her and everyone's benefits.. and here the guys are much more advanced.
Not only whem it comes to Math, but in our daily life. Girls just posess the knowledge, guys find the solution, create and invent new things, based on this knowledge..
*********************
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small compared to what lies within us."
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Well I know it was enforced by many of my male math teachers, whether they knew they were doing it or not is another matter.
Bizarre...I never heard about this myth...In fact, in my High School, the best in math were girls!
Anyway, still remaining to be debunked: technical and driving skills. :)
serious sharp attention make them successful :)
we know before...no need to for such study...
Do you know about Shakuntala Devi....a woman calculator?
What kinda study is that...these people have nothing better to do or what...instead of wasting so much time and resources they could have just asked me...I never had any doubt on that...and would have provided them some live examples in support too...:)________________________________________
One life to live, live it to the fullest.
I always loved maths as a child. And when I was studying for engineering (Civil), we had 17 boys & 25 girls in our class. So much for that myth.
A lot of how kids turn out is based on "nurture" and not "nature".
Olive, this is ancient news. Studies have been showing this for decades, but parents and teachers continue to reinforce the stereotype :(
Just mentioning the word Calculus used to make the girls in our class cry. Maybe it was just them then.
**** Aal Izz Well****
This is one of the benefits I see of single sex education here in Qatar.
The girls seem confident about subjects such as math.
In fact I had a lovely chat with them yesterday about subjects and gender and other things.
hmmm, so my wife was bluffing all those years???
Yalla!
It'll be nice to see girls getting into traditionally male roles, like engineers & scientists. Hopefully parents & teachers will stop enforcing this myth.
Source:
- A study Conducted by FriedUnicorn - Vol I (September,1999)