Why Do Girls Do Better In Their Gcse Exam Results?

[anotheoldgit]

Could it be that these days, one reason could be that schools are lacking in male teachers and another that some come from single parent families, so therefore are not given the opportunity of a father figure, during most of their school life?

[jno]

jim, from the Guardian

Girls also outperformed boys in achieving the very top grades, with 7.9% getting an A* compared with 5%, although both saw a slight decline.

[Tilly2]

Mikey, I am well aware of when teaching begins. It begins long before the age of five. :-)

[jno]

mikey, I think that's always been the case with primary schools - it certainly was in my schooldays

http://www.teachingtimes.com/news/primary-schools-male-teachers.htm

(There doesn't seem to be a date on that)

But this says only a fifth of all teachers are male

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/how-can-we-get-more-men-to-become-teachers/

[jim360]

Thanks, jno, though I was referring to a comprehensive review of 2014 GCSE data. These things are, perhaps in mart, a matter of interpretation, but statistically the difference between boys and girls at GCSE is less significant than a host of other factors that contribute.

[ummmm]

Do girls not also need male role models in their life?

[Smowball]

I've read that girls are more likely to revise than boys but don't think it's anything to do with their home situation.

[mikey4444]

Tilly and jno....Yes, teaching begins as early as possible !

I have spent most of the day with my grand nephew, who will be 5 this November. He is bright as a button, and is able to read quite a bit, in English and Welsh !

Both his parents spend as much time reading to him as they can, and encouraging him to read himself, and its obviously paying off.

But so many boys, especially those from less privileged backgrounds, seem to lack any kind of positive role models at all.

When I semi-retired at age 55, I contemplated being a class-room helper, as a good friend of mine was. He said, that as a man, the local schools would bite my hand off ! In the end, I decided to take up full time work again, which was better paid than the class-room helper would have been. Anyway, I am not sure if I have the temperament for the class room job.

[corylus]

Simple answer, because we are cleverer!

[jno]

and more modest, corylus!

[anneasquith]

Or more clever even :-)

[jno]

cleverer sounds better to me, I don't know why

[corylus]

How dare you correct my grammer!

[anneasquith]

I'm not familiar with " being more cleverer"!!

[corylus]

Best

[ummmm]

Nit picking!!!

I didn't have many rules in life but rule number 1 was....homework.

[Tilly2]

Crème de la crème!

[corylus]

Does 'homework' include shopping, washing and ironing, cleaning, cooking etc?

[jourdain2]

One very simple reason is that girls mature earlier than boys and see the value of education. I've often been saddened when boys spoke to me after their exam result and they are devastated, they simply hadn't realised and messed around in class as a matter of course. There are lots of reasons of course. Far too many to write here.

Girls are better at language from birth, it seems, apparently they can hear higher-pitched tones earlier than boy babies, so they can hear their mothers better. Boys do catch up by 6th form.

I think the lack of male role models in education during Junior School is important. As you know, I am now a volunteer reading tutor. There are 3 of us - all ladies. I have written an article for a local mag. asking for more people to consider giving of their time and I have stressed that some men would be more than welcome. Of my 5 pupils last term, 4 were boys.

[ummmm]

corylus - no, just school work.

[sp1814]

You posited:

"Could it be that these days, one reason could be that schools are lacking in male teachers"

No...because according to the latest figures supplied by Unesco, in secondary schools, the mix of female to male teachers is 60/40.

Even taking those figures into account, why would girls necessarily do better being taught by women?

You went on to suggest:

"and another that some come from single parent families, so therefore are not given the opportunity of a father figure, during most of their school life?"

Again - why would this necessarily affect boys and not girls?