GIRLS AND MATHEMATICS IN ELEMENTARY-SCHOO L - RESULTS OF A 4-YEAR LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF GENDER DIFFERENCES IN ACHIEVEMENT

In a four-year follow-up study including data from preschool level thr ough elementary school Grade 4 various cognitive competency and academ ic achievement measures were compared with respect to possible gender differences. Analyses of variance revealed no significant gender diffe rences in cognitive competencies before school entry. However, at the end of the first grade girls significantly scored higher in mathematic s achievement tests than boys. By contrast, when teacher ratings were used as achievement measures, no gender differences in mathematics cou ld be found at any grade level. At the end of Grade 4 a gender-depende nt pattern of individual achievement relations became apparent: Girls consistently seemed to achieve better in reading/spelling than in math ematics -while boys consistently seemed to achieve better in mathemati cs than in reading/spelling. Thus, results of this study might indicat e early sex-typing effects in teacher assessments of elementary school children's achievement.