Girls' Performance in Mathematics in Upper Primary Schools of Addis Ababa

Abstract

This article was designed to make a comprehensive comparative analysis of mathematics achievement for females and males at the upper primary education level. It was also aimed at investigating the extent of association between females' maths achievement and school ownership, and probing into existing gender stereotypes among the minds of schoolchildren. To this end, the article has employed both objective and subjective data-gathering instruments. The instruments were applied to 309 boys and 302 girls drawn from 10 schools (five government and five non-government) on the basis of diversified sampling techniques. The results of data analyses revealed that mathematics achievement was strongly associated with student gender, and girls' achievement was significantly lower than that of boys'. However, girls' mathematics performance did not show significant difference in government and non-government schools. Further, it was evident that traditional stereotypes, which favour male dominance in mathematical ability, were still prevalent at a modest level in the schools studied.

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