It may be official girls are smarter than boys
The findings are significant as they lend a bigger perspective to headlines like 'Girls outshine boys in CBSE'
Girls outperforming boys in board exams has become a predictable trend. But that the trend is global, with well-rooted reasons behind, has been revealed in a recent report, which says girls are better than boys in collective problem-solving. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) conducted the survey across 52 countries among 1,25,000 children. The findings are significant as they lend a bigger perspective to headlines like “Girls outshine boys in CBSE”.
Countries which took part in the survey include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The participants were 15-year-olds.
This was the first time that OECD included collaborative problem-solving as a parameter in its Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), considering collaboration as a skill. The report said that despite its importance in the professional world, “in most countries and economies, collaboration is not explicitly taught in schools”.
The survey explains why girls outdo boys.
Girls are better at group activities
Collaboration saves labour and encompasses a wide range of knowledge. The survey says that girls are definitely ahead of boys in this regard. In all countries and economies that took part in the survey, girls were ahead by an average of 29 points. “Girls are 1.6 times more likely than boys to be top performers in collaborative problem solving, while boys are 1.6 times more likely to be low achievers in comparison to girls. In no country or economy are boys more likely than girls to be top performers, and in every country or economy boys are more likely than girls to be low performers,” the report said.
Girls are better in managing, interpreting
Collaborative work requires working in a group. The study has found out that those who are good at maths are good at managing. And those who have stronger reading skills are good at interpreting information. And it holds true for all top-performing countries such as Japan, Korea, and Singapore in Asia, Estonia and Finland in Europe and Canada in North America.
Girls are better at socialising
In 2012, when individual problem-solving skills were tested, boys outperformed girls. But the latest report has turned the tables. “There is a huge advantage that girls have in social skills,” said Andreas Schleicher, director for education and skills at the OECD. As one analyses the report, it is revealed that “students who attend physical education lessons or play sports generally have a more positive attitude towards collaboration. However, students who play video games outside of school score slightly lower in collaborative problem-solving than students who do not play video games, on average across OECD countries. On the other hand, students who access the internet or social networks outside of school score slightly higher than other students.” Do girls fall in the last category? Yes, the results say so.
Girls are better listeners
Collaboration is not easy. The report concedes, collaboration may lead to inequal division of labour, conflict of ideas “hindering the development of creative solutions”. Listening to teammates is important and the report suggests girls are better at listening to others than boys.
The participants were given eight statements related to attitude towards collaboration to comment upon.
1. I prefer working a part of a team to working alone
2. I am a good listener
3. I enjoy seeing my classmate be successful
4. I take into account what others are interested in
5. I find that teams make better decisions than individuals
6. I enjoy considering different perspectives
7. I find that teamwork raises my own efficiency
8. I enjoy co-operating with peers
The report said, “On average across OECD countries, girls were 5.3 percentage points more likely than boys to report that they agree or strongly agree that they are a good listener.”