Gender-specific development of mathematics and language performance in lower secondary education in Germany

• DOI: 10.1007/s35834-024-00457-2
• Publication Date: 2024-12-05T20:35:49Z
• Authors: Wilfred Uunk; Pia Blossfeld
• Keywords: Gender gap

Abstract Despite the importance of subject choice for later education and occupational career, we know little about development girls’ boys’ mathematics language performance during their secondary education. This paper aims to fill this gap describes gender-specific performance—in terms grades test scores—in lower in Germany, using longitudinal data from National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) Grades 5 9. Regarding development, there exist differing sometimes opposing hypotheses. On one hand, scholars suggest that gender differences increase as competencies, self-concepts, learning effort, motivation interact, girls boys specialize anticipation future study choices. other expect is narrowing because a ceiling effect performance, greater susceptibility negative peer influencing. Our fixed effects regression analyses show German deteriorate early school, especially academic track. Because decline stronger than girls, (boys do better) decreases (girls increases. However, reading competencies education, gaps hardly change. We speculate changes may be due engagement influence among boys, increasing complexity