PROGRAMME FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ASSESSMENT 2000 - SCOTLAND ANALYSIS
Gender Difference in Performance
11. Almost two thirds of students scoring in the bottom 10 per cent of the PISA reading literacy scale in Scotland were male. Only one third of those scoring in the top 10 per cent were male. This pattern is repeated in each of the reading literacy domains. In the UK as a whole, the gender differences are not quite as extreme, with over 40 per cent of those scoring in the top 10 per cent being male.
12. A greater proportion of males than females were represented amongst the top 10 per cent of performers in mathematics in Scotland. The same was true in science, although a greater proportion of males were also represented among the bottom 10 per cent.
13. In the UK as a whole, males were over-represented in the top and bottom 10 per cent in all subjects. In Scotland this was only true in mathematics and, most significantly, in science.
Table 9a Performance of male students on the PISA proficiency scales, Scotland
Percentage of male students among the bottom 10%, bottom 25%, top 50%, top 25% and top 10% of students on the PISA proficiency scales |
Scotland | Bottom 10% | Bottom 25% | Top 50% | Top 25% | Top 10% |
Reading | 65% | 59% | 43% | 39% | 34% |
Reading - Retrieving Information | 64% | 57% | 44% | 41% | 37% |
Reading - Interpreting | 62% | 58% | 44% | 41% | 38% |
Reading - Reflecting and Evaluating | 67% | 56% | 42% | 38% | 32% |
Mathematics | 48% | 48% | 50% | 53% | 55% |
Science | 54% | 46% | 47% | 49% | 53% |
Table 9b Performance of male students on the PISA proficiency scales, UK
Percentage of male students among the bottom 10%, bottom 25%, top 50%, top 25% and top 10% of students on the PISA proficiency scales |
UK | Bottom 10% | Bottom 25% | Top 50% | Top 25% | Top 10% |
Reading | 63% | 59% | 44% | 42% | 41% |
Reading - Retrieving Information | 60% | 56% | 46% | 45% | 44% |
Reading - Interpreting | 60% | 57% | 45% | 43% | 43% |
Reading - Reflecting and Evaluating | 66% | 61% | 43% | 39% | 36% |
Mathematics | 49% | 48% | 52% | 55% | 59% |
Science | 49% | 48% | 50% | 50% | 53% |
Chart 6. Performance of male students on the PISA proficiency scales for reading, mathematics and science, Scotland and UK
