Week 1 Discussion Topic Nature vs Nurture - Are Boys Really Better at Math? For
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Week 1 Discussion Topic Nature vs Nurture - Are Boys Really Better at Math? For decades it has been accepted that boys are naturally better at math than girls. However as we come to better understand nature and nurture along with today's advanced brain scanning instruments this assumption is being challenged by many in the academic community. What do you think - is this gender difference because of nature, nurture, or a combination of the two. Before entering into this discussion conduct a web search with the following terms: gender AND mathematics. In this week's discussion, based on what you found in your research, answer the following questions: Are the gender differences in mathematics because of nature, nurture, or a combination of the two? (Make sure to support your conclusion with your research) What have been the effects of this unchallenged assumption? Can anything be done to equalize gender performance in mathematics? If so what strategy do you propose?Explanation / Answer
The Nature/Nurture debate is a continuing phenomenon in developmental sciences, resulting from emerging theoretical perspectives and research findings in neuroscience, psychology, sociology and education fields. Human mind and developmental pathways do not follow a fixed pattern of cause and effect. Rather, the transformations of development are more unpredictable as the neurobiological processes are ‘triggered’ by the environment and, in turn, ‘interpreted’ by the person in individual ways. According to Thelen and Smith(1994), they are seen as ‘complex interrelation of time, substance and process’ in the dynamic play between gene action and environmental experience which continues throughout life.
The brain’s plasticity and the child’s predisposition to learn (biogenetic uniqueness of the child) are shaped by environmental influences and stimulation of physical, emotional, social, cultural and cognitive nature in creating new pathways in learning and development.
At both elementary and secondary levels, boys and girls score similarly on many state tests, and girls get relatively good grades in math classes. However, some gender differences in math attitudes and skills appear during elementary school, and ultimately, boys are much more likely than girls to pursue careers in some key math-intensive fields, such as engineering and computer science.
In general, gender differences in math performance are small, which is important to keep in mind. Gender differences on math tests tend to be more pronounced when the content of the assessment is less related to the material that is taught in school. In addition, researchers consistently find that gender gaps are larger among higher-performing students, which may partially explain why we see gender gaps in math-related careers, as these are often pursued by the highest-performing students.
Research consistently shows that, even from a fairly young age, girls are less confident and more anxious about math than boys. Moreover, these differences in confidence and anxiety are larger than actual gender differences in math achievement. These attitudes are important predictors of math performance and math-related career choices. Men and women also tend to prioritize different values when selecting a profession. For example, women tend to care more about working with people, and men tend to be more interested in working with things, and research shows that this difference relates to gender gaps in selection of math-related careers.
Recently, researchers found that girls’ math achievement is lower if they have a female teacher who is anxious about math. This may be because these girls are picking up on gender stereotypes. Research suggests that when boys and girls have the same math performance and behaviors in math class, teachers perceive that the boys are better at math, and that this “differential rating” of boys and girls contributes to gender gaps in math performance.
This gender related stereotypes should be eliminated from the teachers and the population in general. Traditionally, girls’ lower performance in mathematics was explained as relating to both internal and external contextual factors – for example, lower perceived support for learning mathematics. Other studies attributed the girls’ drop in performance to their mathematics feelings that their classrooms were unattractive, uncomfortable and hostile. Factors of importance for girls’ performance in mathematics were teacher and peer support. Such results concerning mathematics are supported by general findings indicating that teacher and peer support are positively connected to academic attitudes, achievement, emotions, learning, motivation and self-efficacy. The cognitive factors in females performing lower than the male counterparts are directly or indirectly influenced by the environment and the people that surround them. Hence females should be verbally encouraged and emotionally supported by their peers, family members and teachers in order to bridge the gender gap in mathematical performance.
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