?A recent study reveals why males outperform females in mathematics
A new study presented at University College London this week indicates that parents generally tend to rate their male children's skills more highly in mathematics than their girls, which could affect the progress of female students, according to the British Guardian.
The results showed that parents overestimate their children's academic performance in academic subjects in general, but these trends are particularly prominent in mathematics, where they overestimate the skills of their male children compared to their daughters.
In her comments on the study, Valentina Toni, an economist at the University of Southampton, said: “We often hear that girls do not like mathematics, but the reasons behind this have not been sufficiently researched.
She added in statements reported by The Guardian: “I fully believe that this does not mean that girls do not like mathematics, but it is the result of years of exposure to stereotypes.”
A large gender gap in mathematics, physics and engineering
The Guardian noted that there is a large gender gap in mathematics, physics and engineering, noting that female students represent only 23% of A-level holders in physics, and 37% in mathematics in the United Kingdom.
The research showed that parental bias may play a role in widening this gap, as previous studies have shown that teachers expect girls to perform poorly in mathematics compared to boys, which affects the evaluations that female students receive.
Toni concluded her comment by saying: “Parents need clear and objective information about their children’s skills and abilities to best support them, and excessive biases are not healthy, so we need to act early in children’s lives.”
"Research shows that increased appreciation leads to higher skill levels in our children, and also shows that parental bias can influence children's final education choices," she added.
Source: websites