|
The fact that a kindergartner is a girl or boy accounts for little of the variation observed in children's knowledge and skills. Previous studies (e.g., Gullo and Burton 1992) have found girls to mature earlier than boys, but the ECLS-K showed that sex differences are more consistent for children's social skills and classroom behavior than for early academic skills (figure 5).
Girls and boys have similar skills, although girls are slightly ahead in reading
On average, girls' reading skills are slightly more advanced than those of boys, but most girls and boys in kindergarten are at the first level of reading proficiency. The proportions of children who are one or two proficiency levels ahead of the average are larger among females than among males. However, for the small numbers who are advanced—those who are actually reading words or sentences at school entry—these fractions are essentially equal for the two sexes. Here are some illustrative findings:
- Seventy percent of female kindergartners know their letters at school entry, compared with 62 percent of males.
- More girls than boys can associate letters with sounds at the beginning (32 versus 26 percent, respectively) and ending of words (19 and 15 percent, respectively).
- Three percent of boys and 2 percent of girls can read words by sight at school entry (the fourth proficiency level).
Female and male kindergartners have equal mean scores and similar score distributions in the ECLS-K assessments of mathematics and general knowledge. Though males may excel in math and science by middle and secondary school (NCES 1998), no differences are apparent at school entry.
More boys experience developmental difficulties
Parents' descriptions of the general health status of their children are similar for male and female children. There are more sex differences with respect to the relative frequency of several developmental problems. According to reports from parents, for example:
- Twice as many boys as girls (14 versus 7 percent) have difficulty articulating words clearly and communicating with others.
- Twice as many boys as girls (18 versus 9 percent) have difficulty paying attention for sustained periods.
- One-quarter more boys than girls (20 versus 16 percent) are a lot more active than their peers.
Girls are more prosocial and less prone to problem behavior
According to both teachers and parents, girls and boys differ in caring and sharing behavior. For example:
- Teachers report that 60 percent of girls versus 43 percent of boys are often comforting or helpful to classmates.
- Teachers describe larger majorities of girls than boys as often accepting peers' ideas for group activities (77 versus 71 percent) and forming and maintaining friendships (80 versus 73 percent).
Parents generally describe their children as engaging in friendly or cooperative behavior more frequently than teachers do. No gender difference is evident in parents' ratings of how frequently their children easily join others in play or make and keep friends. Like teachers, parents describe more female than male kindergartners as comforting or helping others frequently.
Although a minority of either sex is described as engaging in angry or combative behavior often or very often, teachers describe more boys than girls as often engaging in these forms of antisocial conduct. For example, at least half again as many boys as girls are said to get angry easily (14 versus 9 percent) and to argue with others (13 versus 8 percent).
Parents describe more children as often engaging in aggressive behavior, and parents see fewer differences between boys and girls in this regard. Parents perceive slightly more boys than girls as getting angry easily (19 versus 15 percent). But about as many girls as boys are said to be argumentative (32 and 33 percent, respectively) or to fight with others frequently (14 and 16 percent, respectively).
Girls have a more positive approach to classroom tasks
Teachers report that girls are more likely than boys to have a positive orientation to structured learning activities. More girls than boys are eager to learn, more pay attention in class, and more persist in completing tasks. According to teachers:
- Seventy-eight percent of girls versus 71 percent of boys are often eager to learn.
- Seventy-four percent of girls and 58 percent of boys usually pay attention well.
- Seventy-eight percent of girls versus 65 percent of boys often persist in completing assigned tasks.
Parents perceive more children to be eager to learn new things than teachers do, and parents say this is true of as many boys (91 percent) as girls (93 percent). Parents report that girls are more likely to persist at learning tasks than are boys (77 percent versus 69 percent).
Thus, even early in kindergarten, although boys and girls have similar academic skills, boys display more developmental difficulties, more disruptive conduct in class, and less positive orientations to learning activities.
|
