Science & Technology (Commonwealth Union) – Recent data reveals that boys in Year 5 and Year 9 in England have outperformed girls in both maths and science, compared to 2019, according to a report by UCL researchers who analyzed the latest Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).
The results, based on data from 2023, reflect a broader trend seen in many participating countries, where a gender gap has emerged in favor of boys since the last report, which was based on 2019 data and published in 2020.
In the second research report of the TIMSS 2023 International Report and Results, authored by UCL researchers and published by the Department for Education (DfE), the team examined various factors, including gender, socioeconomic status, home resources, and pupil absenteeism. Over 12,000 schools in 59 countries were assessed for Year 5, and over 8,700 schools in 44 countries were tested for Year 9. In England, testing was conducted by the global learning company Pearson across 267 schools.
Most countries score between 400 and 600 on the TIMSS scale. In maths, boys in England had a 26-point advantage over girls, scoring 538 compared to girls’ 512. This marked a significant shift from 2019, when the gap was only two points, with boys scoring 516 and girls 514. The gap in England is the largest of any participating country.
In science, boys also led by a substantial 14-point margin in Year 9, with scores of 538 compared to 524 for girls. This contrasts with 2019, when the difference was just three points, with girls scoring 518 and boys 515. However, in Year 5 science, the scores between boys and girls were not significantly different, continuing a previous trend.
Principal Investigator Professor Mary Richardson (IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education & Society) says “Despite efforts within schools, socioeconomic factors are still influencing how many pupils perform in maths and science. Those who have fewer educational resources at home need extra support and awareness in order to access the same opportunities to learn compared as their better-resourced peers.”
The researchers observed that socioeconomic factors had a notable impact on student performance. Pupils who had been eligible for free school meals (FSM) at any point since 2019 consistently underperformed compared to their non-FSM peers. For instance, in Year 9 science, FSM-eligible students scored an average of 490, while their non-FSM counterparts scored 540. This trend was consistent with 2019 data, where non-FSM students averaged 523 and FSM students scored 476.
TIMSS used the number of books at home as an indicator of socioeconomic status. The study revealed a significant performance gap between pupils with access to many books and those with fewer. In Year 9 science, students from households with fewer than ten books scored 461, while those from homes with over 200 books scored 601.
Dr. Jennie Golding, who is Co-Principal Investigator from the IOE at the UCL, Faculty of Education & Society, indicated that over the past two decades, boys and girls have scored similarly in both mathematics and science in TIMSS. She further pointed out that while it is difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of this widening gap, their findings suggest factors like confidence, a sense of belonging, and absenteeism may contribute, also pointing out however, that further research is needed to fully understand and address these issues.
When examining factors such as belief in one’s own abilities, the importance placed on a subject, and enjoyment of a subject, it was found that confidence had the strongest correlation with performance. In both year groups for mathematics and in year 9 for science, a considerably higher proportion of boys expressed high levels of confidence in response to a series of related statements. Conversely, a significantly larger percentage of girls reported a lack of confidence. For instance, in year 9 mathematics, 21 percent of boys and 9 percent of girls stated they were very confident, while 38% of boys reported they were not confident, compared to 60 percent of girls.
