Predictors of Achievement in Mathematics for Gifted Males and Females

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that are predictive of achievement in fast-paced mathematics classes for high abitity male and female adolescents. The predictive value of three categories of factors were explored: ability, previous experience and exposure to the content area, and individual student characteristics. These were used to predict three out comes: entry-level knowledge, learning during the program, and learning rate. Results showed. that outcomes for females were more predictable than for males. For both males and females, previous experience variables were the most important in predicting learning outcomes. For females, parental teaching and tutoring of others related to learning, whereas for males, participation in math clubs was the important previous experience variable.

How Leisure Activities Correspond to the Development of Creative Achievement: insights from a study of highly intelligent individuals1

“…In terms of occupational psychology, there is a "spillover" from work to free time (Lambert, 1990). A variety of empirical studies confirm this position: Children of particularly good reading performance put a major part of their leisure into reading; young people who do very well in mathematics invest a good deal of their free time in additional mathematics courses and obtaining mathematical explanations from their parents (Anderson, Wilson & Fielding, 1988;Fuligni & Stevenson, 1995;Olszewski-Kubilius, Kulieke, Shaw, Willis & Krasney, 1990;Smith, 1990).…”

Differences in Mathematics Achievement Between Males and Females

“…Kimball and others suggest a number of explanations (Update on mathematics, 1991; Kimball, 1989;Olszewski-Kubilius, Shaw, Kulieke, Willis, & Krasney, 1990). According to Kimball (1989), females have less experience with math outside the classroom and use the rote approach to learning.…”