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| ‘Girls read more for enjoyment than boys, PISA surveys have found, and in particular, girls read more fiction, which is associated with high performance.’’ Photograph: Getty Images |
Girls outperformed boys in 50 of 58 Leaving Cert
papers across higher and ordinary level, according to a gender analysis
of this year’s results. This is part of a recurring pattern – and not
just in Ireland. But why is this the case?
The Programme for International Student Assessment
(PISA) surveys 15-year-old students across 70 economies every three
years to evaluate education systems worldwide. It has consistently found
girls outperform boys in school.
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| report (PDF) |
There are several reasons for this, according to a report
(PDF) earlier this year by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD). Girls read more. They spend more time on homework,
and usually spend less time online and playing video games. Boys think
they’re too cool for school, where girls are generally highly motivated
to do well.
Girls read more for enjoyment than boys, PISA surveys
have found, and in particular, girls read more fiction, which is
associated with high performance. They also found that on average, girls
will spend five and a half hours on homework a week, against boys’ four
and a half hours. In Ireland specifically, girls do eight hours’
homework on average, while boys spend an hour and a quarter less.
Homework, unsurprisingly, has an impact on student performance, with
students who spend more time on homework achieving better results.
Various studies considered by the OECD suggest the
difference in attitudes towards school between the genders is strongly
related to our idea of what’s masculine and what’s feminine. For many
boys, an interest in school or academic achievement isn’t cool. Across
OECD countries, boys were eight per cent more likely than girls to say
school is a waste of time. They were also five per cent less likely to
agree or strongly agree that trying hard at school is important.
Source: Irish Times
