Boys perform better at maths than girls within months of starting school, study shows

New overseas research has found boys perform better at maths than girls within months of starting school, but a Kiwi academic claims a society ‘brilliance bias’ is behind the gender gap in maths students.

Massey University Institute of Education professor Jodie Hunter said the researchers are clear that the advantages are not due to innate ability, but what happens in the classroom.

“This study supports what earlier research has shown about something called ‘brilliance bias’, the idea that doing well in subjects like mathematics, physics, and other sciences is about having natural talent or being innately brilliant,” Hunter said.

French and US researchers analysed data from more than 2.6 million first and second-grade children aged 5 to 7 in France.

The researchers found there was almost no difference in average maths performance between male and female students at the beginning of school, but after only four months, boys were noticeably better.

This gap had quadrupled in size by the beginning of 2nd grade; the gender trend was clear regardless of socioeconomic status, the type of maths test administered, and whether the school was public or private.

Massey University Institute of Education professor Jodie Hunter said the researchers are clear that the advantages are not due to innate ability, but what happens in the classroom. Photo / Supplied

“Not just teachers, but society in general, parents can cultivate that as well... because there might be a tendency for us to think that males are going to be better at maths, then we notice when they are doing things that are positive in maths,” Hunter said.

Hunter said we don’t have data in New Zealand to show there is a gender gap in studies, but we have studies that show gaps between Pākehā, Māori and Pacific students.

“This research is highly relevant for us here in Aotearoa and across the Pacific, given that we see ongoing disparities in achievement, particularly for Māori and Pacific students.”

It’s hoped the study can help focus research into interventions that could reduce the gap between genders in maths by figuring out when the disparity begins.

“Research suggests that part of the problem is a lack of recognition for the strengths and knowledge that these students bring into the classroom.”

Hunter said younger children often believe their gender or group is the smartest at these subjects, but as they get older and move through schooling, this begins to change.

“They begin to associate success in mathematics and science subjects with certain groups, unfortunately, those groups often don’t include girls or students from marginalised communities.”

The study, “Rapid emergence of a maths gender gap in first grade”, was published in Nature yesterday.

Jaime Lyth is a multimedia journalist for the New Zealand Herald, focusing on crime and breaking news. Lyth began working under the NZ Herald masthead in 2021 as a reporter for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei.