In Support of a Sociological Explanation of Sex Differences in Science and Mathematics Achievement: evidence from a Kuwaiti study of secondary school certificate examinations

Abstract

This study of 4578 Kuwaiti students explores the relationships between gender and achievement in chemistry, physics, biology, geology and mathematics, as measured by the Secondary School Certificate Examination at the end of the academic year 1982‐83. Girls attained significantly superior results compared with boys in all science subjects. The opposite trend occurred with mathematics. With regards to nationality it was found that non‐Kuwaiti students achieved significantly superior mean scores than Kuwaiti students in all subjects. Boys in rural schools achieved significantly better mean scores than those in urban schools in biology, chemistry and physics but not in either geology or mathematics. In contrast, girls in urban schools attained superior mean scores to those in rural schools in all subjects. Sociological factors are put forward to explain these trends which contradict the research findings of similar studies undertaken in Western Countries.