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Formula for Success?

Gender and Ethnic Achievement Based on Learning Styles
By Elizabeth Pierce and T.A. Bennett

For many students, math is just another four letter word, but studies have shown that the issue of achievement in mathematics is much more complicated than that. Researchers at the University of Minnesota, in two separate studies, found that the types of tests given and high school courses taken may factor into gender and ethnic differences in mathematical achievement.

In “Gender Differences by Item Difficulty Interactions in Multiple-choice Mathematics Items,” published in The American Educational Research Journal, University researchers John Bielinski and Mark Davison found that males are more variable than females in overall mathematical test scores, a variant that has existed since at least the 1970’s.

“Mark Davison and I noticed the trend in math achievement tests and in other data,” Bielinski said. Using data from several forms of the Minnesota Basic Standards Test, their study was based on this hypothesis, but the fact that it did occur was still surprising. “We found that item difficulty is the key to predicting gender performance.”

In general, females tended to outperform males on the easiest questions, and males tended to outperform females on the hardest questions. While the mean score of the two genders was about equal, females scored consistently in the middle of the pack, while males were at both ends of the spectrum. This variability translates to males scoring highest on math tests: Studies cite a 3:1 ratio of males to females in the upper five percent of scores. As a result, more males than females tend to go into math and engineering fields, and the scholarships to pursue such studies are then similarly weighted.

While the data from these studies and others indicate a clear gender difference in math scores, explanations for that difference are less clear. One explanation offered is that the types of ability measured in “easy” versus “hard” questions differ. For example, reading or clerical accuracy may be the focus of easier questions, while mathematical reasoning or spatial visualization is the focus of harder questions. “The property of the problem can predict the direction of gender difference,” Bielinski said. “The difficulty can skew the test.”

Bielinski is using his findings to help the state develop math tests which are less biased based on gender.

The study also points out a somewhat neglected issue: The males found at the bottom of the rankings. Fewer boys pursue four-year degrees straight out of high school and receive bachelor degrees, and Bielinski speculates that they are not encouraged to take math courses because there are more opportunities for males in two-year technical programs than for females.

Richard Felder, a member of the Department of Chemical Engineering at North Carolina State University, has been looking into the teaching methods used by science and engineering faculty members and concludes that, often, the teaching styles instructors used contrasted with the ways in which their students learn.

When students learn a different way from how the instructor teaches, such as a visual learner versus an oral instructor, the students have difficulty in the course because they lose interest in the subject area. This causes them to switch to a different major, even though they would be as good in an engineering or science career as someone who gets good grades because their learning style meshes with the instructor’s.

To combat this problem, Felder suggests that instructors use a variety of teaching methods: Verbal lectures and visual aids, group work and links to the real world, conceptual problems, and how the material relates to the students’ prior experiences should all be a part of a course.

For more information on the Felder Learning Style, visit http://www2.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers

Research in high school course taking has mirrored Bielinski’s findings. In “High School Mathematics Course-taking by Gender and Ethnicity,” published in the same journal by Ernest Davenport et al., researchers found that females were more likely to take the traditional college prep classes, while males were more likely to take remedial math classes. This trend continues in college, with males more often taking advanced math and major in math or a quantitative science.

“Telling people to take more courses may not raise achievement,” Davenport said. “The types of courses may matter more. People often select themselves out [of higher level courses] in college if they are not prepared because they have more to make up.”

Differences in ethnic groups as they relate to course choice among a sequence of Algebra I, geometry, Algebra II, trigonometry and calculus were also studied. Results showed that only about 1/3 of African-American and Hispanic students took courses beyond Algebra I, instead taking courses in functional and pre-formal sequences, while most Asian and White students took courses beyond the level of geometry in standard and advanced sequences. Twice as many Asians as Whites took calculus courses.

“When minorities take advanced math, they do well. Not many take advanced courses, though,” Davenport said.

The researchers found two course taking decision points for students: First, a decision to prep for college attendance by taking the standard sequence of Algebra I, geometry and Algebra II, separating the African-American and Hispanic students from the more often college bound White and Asian students. Second was the decision to prep for a quantitatively oriented career by taking advanced course work. This choice seemed to separate Asian students from White students, with Asian students taking more advanced courses.

For math majors in IT and CLA, it is strongly recommended that the students have completed four years of high school math, including trigonometry. If not, they must start with the pre-calculus sequence.