Germany Says that Boys Perform Better in Mathematics. Do Our Best CBSE Schools Agree?

by BHS Mukundapur Team Best CBSE School in Kolkata

While India has systematically witnessed girls outperforming boys in the board exams, results of a survey conducted by a German university are quite interesting. “Gender Differences in Scholastic Achievement: A Meta-Analysis”, a survey conducted by the School of Education, Technical University of Munich (TUM), found great disparities in grades earned in various subjects, by boys and girls.

 

No such disparities have been noticed in India. Some of the best CBSE schools in Kolkata hold a different opinion. In this article, we’ll try to find out if gender differences really matter in subject-wise mean achievement scores.

 

How far is ‘boy-crisis’ a reality?

 

‘Boy-crisis’ is a phenomenon where studies based on comparative analysis of marks scored by boys and girls in a classroom point at girls outperforming boys, consistently. This is not an alarming situation as it sounds. Unlike popular belief, ‘boy-crisis’ has been here for at least a hundred years before.

 

However, studies have not yet put light on why girls outperform boys.

 

Indian paradox

 

Studies that took place in the Indian context gave different results. Girls and boys didn’t make a huge difference in subject-wise mean achievement scores. Be it humanities or science subjects, the average scores earned by girls and boys are nearly similar, however, girls scored better in English.

 

To ascertain the fact if boys outperform girls in mathematics, further studies need to take place. Such studies can put light on unanswered queries.

 

Patterns followed by boys and girls to solve mathematical problems

 

Eminent educationists in India root for gender-based studies for solving mathematical problems. Unlike in India, many research-based works of literature have been already published in other countries. Cognitive abilities, influenced by psychology, experience and education are some of the environmental variables.

 

What do we mean by mathematical problems?

 

Experts define it as complex cognitive activities. Types of mathematical problems are as follows:

 

●      Word problems

●      Pattern cognition

●      Figure interpretation

●      Geometric construction

●      Theorems and proofs

 

The problem solver should have the cognitive ability to comprehend the problem, create algorithms, process information, identify computation strategies and execute computation.

 

Some of the top schools in Kolkata are introducing unique steps to make mathematics a fun subject.

 

From chairs/tables to stair treads, when it comes to add fun to mathematics, simple props can create magic

Have you heard of mathematics labs? We had conducted practice experiments in physics, chemistry or biology labs of our schools. Have also participated in practical classes of computer science in labs but never heard of mathematics labs!

 

Reputed schools in Kolkata are evolving the methods of teaching to help students grasp subjects, apply their knowledge to solve problems and make society a better place to live. Some schools have mathematics labs with pieces of furniture having engraved mathematical formulae. With the sort of curiosity level nursery students have, we can just imagine their excitement, every time they see these furniture pieces.

 

There are some schools in Kolkata which have utilised the stair treads for this purpose. We are talking about stair treads with multiplication tables. Pretty exciting, huh! 

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Created on Jul 30th 2019 05:47. Viewed 314 times.

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