Comparing Science Achievement Among 15-Year-Olds Worldwide

In this New York Times article, Hannah Fairfield reports the results of a science test given to a representative sample of 15-year-olds in 65 OECD countries. In most, girls outperformed boys – but not in the United States and most western- and northern-European countries. Why? Because different countries offer different incentives and convey different expectations about female achievement in science. In the some countries, boys are more likely to “see science as something that affects their life,” says Andreas Schleicher, who oversees the OECD tests. And then there’s stereotype threat originating in gender expectations, which are formed as early as four years old.

Click the link below to view the detailed chart of countries’ achievement; you can see 

which country each dot is by hovering over it with your cursor, and view an analysis of different countries by clicking the numbers in the top right-hand corner.

“Clues to a Troubling Gap” by Hannah Fairfield in The New York Times, Feb. 5, 2013 (p. D1, D3), http://nyti.ms/VQXfOZ 

From the Marshall Memo #472