A Componential and Top 10% Analysis of Gender Differences in Mathematical Ability: The EPTS Case
Keywords:
cinsiyet farklılıkları, matematik yeteneği, üstün yetenek, ÜYEP, gender differences, mathematical ability, high abilityAbstract
Abstract
Gender differences in mathematical ability and its components were investigated. The study was conducted with 1978 sixth grade students who applied for admission to Anadolu Uni- versity Research and Practice Center on High Ability Education from the year 2009 to 2015. The Test of Mathematical Talent was used to measure mathematical ability. Data analyses included gender differences in mathematical ability and its components and performance and proportional differences in the top 10% of ability. The results showed that boys were bet- ter in general mathematical ability and in some components, such as number series, numerical analogy, liner logic, conditional logic, algebra, numbers-measurement, statistics and probabil- ity, geometry and figurative rotation. Girls and boys had similar scores in figurative series and figurative analogy subtests. The ratio of boys in the top 10% of mathematical ability was bigger than the ratio of girls, however their mean scores did not differ significantly. The study reveals what subdomains of mathemati- cal ability make a gender difference and that although the ratio of gifted boys in mathemat- ics is bigger than that of gifted girls, their per- formance level is similar.
Öz
Bu araştırmada genel matematik yeteneği ve matematik yeteneğinin alt becerilerindeki cin- siyet farklılıkları incelenmiştir. Araştırma, Anadolu Üniversitesi Üstün Yetenekliler Eği- timi Araştırma ve Uygulama Merkezi’ne (ÜYEP) 2009-2015 yılları arasında başvuru ya- pan 1978 6.sınıf öğrencisi ile gerçekleştirilmiş- tir. Araştırmada Matematiksel Yetenek Testi (MYT) kullanılmıştır. Veriler üç kategoriye gö- re incelenmiştir: genel matematik yeteneği, matematik yeteneğinin alt becerileri ve genel matematik yeteneğindeki üst %10’luk dilim. Analiz sonucunda genel matematik yetene- ğinde erkeklerin lehine anlamlı farklılık bu- lunmuştur. Alt becerilerde ise sayı dizisi, sayı- sal analoji, lineer mantık, koşullu mantık, cebir, sayılar-ölçme, istatistik ve olasılık, geomet- ri ve figüratif rotasyon alt alanlarında erkekle- rin lehine anlamlı farklılık bulunurken figüra- tif diziler ve figüratif analoji alt alanlarında er- keklerin ve kızların benzer yetenek düzeyine sahip oldukları görülmüştür. Üst % 10’luk di- limde erkeklerin oranı kızlardan daha yüksek bulunmuştur ancak bu dilimde eyer alan kız ve erkek öğrencilerin ortalama puanları farklı- laşmamıştır.
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