Girls and boys: Who learns better?

Recent research has shown that female students study better and score higher than male students.

>>>In elementary school, female students feel happier than male students

This finding is one of recent studies by two psychology professors Daniel and Susan Voyer of New Brunswick University.

The results are based on analyzing data from 369 studies, including scores of more than a million male and female students from 30 different countries.

Experts have concluded that girls achieve higher grades than boys in most subjects, including areas of science that people have long thought that boys are superior to girls.

Another thing that few people know about, there is also a gender gap in college enrollment. The latest data from the Pew Research Center using data from the US General Statistics Office said that in 2012, 71% of women graduated from high school continued to study at university, while this figure was only for men. is 61%.

Meanwhile in 1994, this number was 63% and 61%, respectively. In other words, the share of university enrollments in women is increasing and men remain unchanged. So is the school prioritizing women and making it difficult for men to study?

We all started to find the answer from the kindergarten level. Dr. Claire Cameron Ponitz from the Center for Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning at the University of Virginia has dedicated her life to studying children's learning in kindergarten.

She realized that children who showed a positive attitude in a kindergarten were better able to adjust themselves. The conclusion received much attention from teachers and psychologists.

Because they think that this involves disciplinary actions in the classroom such as raising hands, queuing up, listening and following the teacher's instructions, limiting the freedom to speak.

These skills are a prerequisite in the orientation of learning in most kindergartens in general, as well as the basis for success in life.

And the result is that girls in kindergarten have a much better self-regulation ability than boys. A few years ago, Ponitz and her colleagues tested this by playing the game 'Head - Toe - Shoulder - Shoulder'.

Research assistants evaluate the child based on their ability to follow instructions correctly and not be distracted by external factors.

In some cases, children will have to touch Vai when they are asked to touch the Head. Thinking and grasping the rule of 'Touching the Head means touching the Shoulder' , the reflex that immediately does not touch the Head is a good example of the ability to adjust itself.

Through research, the researchers found that the boys grew a year slower than her in every element of her ability to adjust herself . At the end of kindergarten, boys begin to gain the skills that girls have had since the beginning of the year.

Girls continue to show their superiority in this ability when entering high school and beyond. In a 2006 study, Martin Seligman and Angela Lee Duckworth realized that high school girls were much more self-disciplined than boys of the same age.

This contributes a lot to the scores of girls in all subjects. The girls showed better ability to 'read the instructions before doing the lesson', 'pay more attention to the teacher than sit dreaming', 'do the homework rather than watch TV', 'the patience to do long exercises'.

Top scientists at the University of Pennsylvania found that girls started doing homework earlier and spent twice as much time studying as boys.

Therefore, the average grade of girls is higher in all subjects, including basic and advanced math - the subject which is the son's strength is understandable.

Dr. Seligman, Duckworth said that girls are always self-conscious and persistent, dedicated to their challenges . This devotion is reflected in the hard work of writing, paying attention to lecturing and remembering better during the hour.

It is this weakness that makes male students disadvantage in the learning environment, not only in the reception but also in the matter of arranging knowledge obtained.

Psychology professor Gwen Kenney-Benson of Allegheny University said that female students are more successful than boys because of their better orientation - to set goals , to make efforts, to impress others. But the learning trend of male students differs from female students.

With comfortable psychology, male students take a test with a relaxed mind, on the contrary - girls often feel pressured and worried, so they don't perform well, leading to many misconceptions. Experts conclude that: "Situational tests make girls uncomfortable and boys' school spirit is always not high".

Not only that, the grading also affected students' learning results more or less. Most schools have a grading scale (life skills points) and knowledge points.

It is because the son is usually not hardworking, devoted, so they submit the essay late or inadequate, forgetting a few questions in the article as often. This results in lower average son scores.

Of course, many other skills are cultivated in not only the classroom but also in the life. All of them will affect the results of male and female students. And according to experts, to solve this difference requires the help of families and schools. However, it can be said that female students are better than boys.

* The article shows Claire Cameron Ponitz's view on Quartz.