Sex Differences in Reading and Math Test Scores of Children: A Heterodoxical Model

The book examines why reading and math test scores for boys and girls have differed since the origins of testing in the United States, providing a coherent theory of gender differences explaining math and reading test score means and variances obtained in observational settings. It requires no auxiliary sources and contains all technical details, including the estimation procedure and an R code implementation.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 108 pages
Publication date: 10 October 2023
Publisher: Springer International Publishing AG

·         Provides a coherent theory of gender differences explaining math and reading test score means and variances obtained in observational settings.
The book "Why Boys and Girls Have Differed in Reading and Math Test Scores Since the Origins of Testing in the United States" examines the persistent pattern of differences in test scores between boys and girls since the inception of testing in the United States and worldwide. It explores the reasons behind the modestly larger math test score means of boys compared to girls and the far larger reading test score means of girls compared to boys. The book also highlights the larger test score variances for both tasks among boys. The book focuses solely on the sample means and variances of boys' and girls' test scores, providing a comprehensive analysis of the observed differences. It presents a unique and coherent theory of gender differences that explains the means and variances of math and reading test scores obtained in observational settings. The book utilizes a finite probability mixture model to develop the theory, providing parameter estimates and displaying numerous estimated probability distributions associated with the selected accessible studies. It extends the theory and offers explanations for previously unexplained puzzling features of test score data. The book requires no auxiliary sources and assumes a basic understanding of random variables and probability theory. It includes all technical details, including the estimation procedure and an R code implementation. The book covers various key areas, including an extensive literature summary from a unique data inequalities perspective, a perspective that challenges existing viewpoints on sex differences, and illustrations of probability modeling of psychological data. It also highlights the failure of conventional statistics to explain data and the need for a more comprehensive model. Overall, the book provides a valuable contribution to the understanding of gender differences in test scores and offers insights into the factors that contribute to these differences.

Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783031412745
Edition number: 1st ed. 2024