Study: Girls Outperform Boys on Tech, Engineering, Even Without Class

 

Girls in America show more mastery in technology and engineering subjects than their boy classmates, says a new report.

The information comes from national education data released Tuesday.

The findings were part of the National Assessment¹ of Educational Progress, or NAEP. The NAEP measures what a representative sample of students across the U.S. know and can do in several subjects. It is also known as “The Nation’s Report Card."

It is only the second time in the NAEP’s 50-year history that it tested students’ abilities in technology and engineering. The NAEP’s Technology and Engineering Literacy test, or TEL, was first given in 2014. It asks students to “solve real-world technology and engineering problems.”

The 15,400 eighth-grade students who took the TEL test in 2018 scored an average of 152 points out of a possible 300 points. In 2014, they averaged 150 points.

Girls who took the test in 2018 scored an average of five points higher than boys, 155 to 150. That is a wider difference than results from the 2014 test showed.

Between 2014 and 2018, the scores of girls increased from about 151 to 155. Boys’ scores, however, mostly stayed the same.

Yet, fewer girls take technology and engineering classes in school than boys. Sixty-one percent of male students reported taking at least one class like coding or robotics. Just 53 percent of female students reported doing the same.

Peggy Carr is with the National Center for Education Statistics, which oversees² the NAEP. It is part of the U.S. Department of Education. She presented the findings on Tuesday. She described the five-point difference between girls and boys as a “meaningful statement.”

Carr said, “Although girls are outperforming boys, boys are taking at a higher rate more engineering classes. They are outscoring boys whether or not they take a class.”

The TEL test measured a student’s ability to use technology and engineering skills in real-life situations. It used interactive³ tasks to learn what students know and can do. Examples include building a path for bicyclists and creating a museum show.

Girls especially outperformed boys in the areas of communication and teamwork, or collaboration⁴.

Carr said the results demonstrate that school administrators⁵ and other education leaders “need to encourage girls to take more of these technology and engineering courses.” She added that boys also should be given more of a chance to work on communication and collaboration skills.

NAEP presents results for groups of students with similarities such as gender⁶, race and ethnicity -- and not for individual students.

In 2018, about 46 percent of students performed at or above the so-called NAEP Proficient⁷ level on the TEL test. That is an improvement from 2014, when about 43 percent of students reached the proficient level.

Most groups showed at least some improvement in 2018 compared to 2014. Along with the increased scores among female students, the 2018 TEL test also saw strong improvements among Asian students, students from low-earning families and students whose parents did not complete high school.

However, scores for students who identified as English-language learners went down in 2018 – from 108 to 106 points. Scores among Native American students decreased more – from 146 to 133.

I’m Ashley Thompson.

Word in This Story

mastery - n. knowledge and skill that allows you to do, use, or understand something very well

sample - n. a group of people or things that are taken from a larger group and studied, tested, or questioned to get information

literacy - n. knowledge that relates to a specified⁸ subject

average - v. to have (a specified number) as an average

code - n. a set of instructions for a computer

interactive - adj. designed to respond to the actions, commands, etc., of a use

gender - n. the state of being male or female

proficient - n. good at doing something

1 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

2 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

3 interactive   

adj.相互作用的，互相影响的，（电脑）交互的

参考例句：

• The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
• This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。

4 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

5 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

6 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

7 proficient   

adj.熟练的，精通的；n.能手，专家

参考例句：

• She is proficient at swimming.她精通游泳。
• I think I'm quite proficient in both written and spoken English.我认为我在英语读写方面相当熟练。

8 specified   

adj.特定的

参考例句：

• The architect specified oak for the wood trim. 那位建筑师指定用橡木做木饰条。
• It is generated by some specified means. 这是由某些未加说明的方法产生的。