Sex‐related differences in science achievement: a possible testing artefact

In large‐scale testing programmes it has been consistently noted that males tend to out‐score females in science and mathematics, particularly in the areas of physical and earth/space sciences. The third provincial assessment of science in British Columbia, Canada, which tested over 100,000 students in grades 4, 7 and 10 has again shown strong gender‐related differences in various domains of science achievement. Explanations for these differences have, in the past, centred on either biological or sociological considerations with explanations concerned with the gender orientation or ‘realm of experience’ of items receiving a great deal of support in the academic community. It was found, however, that there was considerable disagreement among a panel of judges regarding the gender orientation of many items that calls into question some of the previous work in this area. It is also possible that observed differences in achievement in domains higher than the knowledge level may be an artefact of item construction. Many items in higher level domains are dependent on knowledge that has been shown to have strong gender‐related differences. As such, gender‐related differences in achievement in domains such as application, critical and rational thinking, technology and the nature of science, and safety may be predetermined through item selection for the instruments.

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David John Bateson‡

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