Schoolgirls leave boys in their dust

Girls are creeping further ahead of boys in school achievement and are even topping the class in traditionally male-dominated subjects, the latest secondary school exams reveal.

Results from last year's National Certificate of Educational Achievement show girls are easily outperforming boys in languages, the arts and social sciences.

They are also stretching ahead, albeit slightly, in maths and science subjects.

Only in technology do boys retain the upper hand, according to the results released yesterday by the Qualifications Authority.

Girls were more likely to achieve qualifications than boys in all three levels of the NCEA. Of 3.2 million credits handed out last year, 1.7 million went to girls and 1.5 million went to boys.

Results from externally assessed exams at all three levels showed girls were more likely to be awarded "achieve", "merit" or "excellence".

Experts are divided on why girls are doing better. Theories range from slower motor development in boys to the growth of a feminine culture in the classroom.

Associate Education Minister David Benson-Pope said yesterday the results were a "concern" and that a Ministry of Education project was under way looking at policy surrounding boys' achievement.

"NCEA results will become an important measure as we look to address this disparity," he said.

"In this way we can adapt our teaching practice to ensure better outcomes for our kids."

The other main trend uncovered by the release of the statistics is rising numbers of students leaving school with a qualification.

School leavers with no qualification dropped from 15.3 per cent in 2003 to 13 per cent in 2004. Maori school leavers with no qualification dropped 4.2 percentage points and Pacific Island students 4.4 percentage points, although both groups still have overall higher rates of school leavers with no qualifications.

Mr Benson-Pope said the results backed arguments that the NCEA encouraged students to stay at school, provided more flexible pathways to qualifications, and was providing students with incentives.

"NCEA is not simply about a qualification. It has been about reforming a secondary system so that it better serves all its students."

The school-by-school profiles, available on the Qualifications Authority website, offer no easy way to rank performance, but it is possible to compare a school's results against a national average, and against averages for schools of similar sizes, genders and deciles around the country.

Parents hunting the best school for their child will also not be able to see any details of how a school assesses or moderates its results, or what extra-curricular activities are available.

The results also fail to take account of the small band of schools which have largely rejected the NCEA in favour of the overseas qualifications, such as Auckland Grammar.

Girls on top

Theories why girls outperform boys:

* Boys are more suited to exams
* Girls are more suited to continuous assessment
* Female aspirations and opportunities have grown
* Classroom culture has been "feminised"
* Boys go through a period of low self-esteem causing them to lose sight of academic goals
* Parental attitudes have a greater influence on girls than on boys
* Boys engage in more disruptive classroom behaviour
* Boys' motor development is slower