„Płeć matematyki”. Zróżnicowania osiągnięć ze względu na płeć wśród uzdolnionych uczniów

Research on performance in mathematics shows that an average achievement of men and women is only slightly different. A much bigger difference exists among students at high achievement levels; in this group, there are more boys than girls. This paper addresses the question how mathematical subdisciplines and types of tests shape gender proportion at higher percentiles of achievement distribution. An analysis of a wide range of data including the results of PISA, exams taken at the end of lower secondary school and high school as well as so-called “mathematical Olympics” brings out three conclusions: (1) there is a gender gap in all subscales of PISA scales, (2) the largest differences exist in scales related to spatial abilities, (3) gender gap widens together with an increase in the level of difficulty as well as with the transition to higher educational levels.