Boys victim of gender bias

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London – Girls are being over-praised and given higher marks at school for their good behaviour – not for their ability – according to a major study. And this is making life more difficult for them when they enter the jobs market, where rewards are primarily based on what they know, says the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. It said girls are much more likely than boys to be model pupils. Their diligence and obedience in the classroom is often ‘rewarded’ with higher marks, while many boys are ‘punished’ with poor marks for being disruptive. It may mean marks reflect good or bad attitudes to studying, but not necessarily aptitude.

The OECD warned that girls who may do better in the short-run at school could be ‘penalised’ in the labour market later on.

It called on teachers to review their own ‘gender biases’ and consider whether marking girls up was really helping them. Andreas Schleicher, the OECD’s director for education and skills, said that even when girls and boys do similarly well in reading and maths tests, girls get better marks.

‘Maybe in the short run, you get a better school certificate,’ he said. ‘In the long run, the world is going to penalise you because the labour market doesn’t pay you for your school marks, it pays you for what you can do.’

Teachers consistently give better results to girls than boys, even when they perform similarly in the international Pisa tests, which are run by the OECD. The study, based on data from tests taken by 15-year-olds in maths, reading and science, looked at gender differences in education.

It said: ‘Girls’ better marks may reflect that they tend to be “better students” than boys: they tend to do what is expected of them, thanks to better self-regulation skills, and they are more driven to excel in school.’

* Children who play computer games regularly do better than their peers at school, the OECD research also suggests. It found that those who played one-player games in moderation performed better in core subjects than those who never played.

It said many games ‘incorporate good learning principles’ and ‘hone problem-solving skills’.

Give boys comics in class

Boys should be allowed to look at comics in school to foster a love of reading, says the OECD report.

The researchers said reading children’s fiction in class may be putting off boys.

They take more enjoyment from comics and newspapers, while girls prefer to read storybooks and magazines.

The study said children were becoming less likely to read for pleasure and discouraging boys from reading what they prefer ‘may alienate them from the habit of reading altogether’. Any reading is better than no reading, it added.

Daily Mail