Sex-related Differences in Mathematics: Results from National Assessment

Abstract

The second mathematics assessment of the National Assessment of Educational Progress provides new insight into the problems of sex-related differences in mathematics. Information about course taking and achievement in specific content areas and at different cognitive levels is available from a representative national sample of over 70 000 9-, 13-, and 17-year-olds. The purpose of this article is to report the sex-related differences that were found in this assessment and to explore the significance of these differences.