1. Boys do better at state exams The analysis of Polish national representative sample of teenagers Grazyna Wieczorkowska-Wierzbinska Malgorzata Siarkiewicz University of Warsaw, Poland siarkiewicz@gmail.com Barcelona – January, 26th 2007

3. Analized sample Polish national representative sample of teenagers N = 1366 –Boys – N1= 634 (46,4%) –Girls – N2 = 732 (53,6%) Age = 15 y 9 m –Minimum – 15 y –Maximum – 18 y 15 m

4. Goal of a study to explain the variability in educational achievements among teenagers

5. Some of the Predictors Pupil characteristics (IQ, SEX); Field (language arts vs science); Type of assessment (school grades vs external exams)

6. Dependent variables Educational achievements: School grade in Polish, School grade in math, Score on the state exam in arts Score on the state exam in science

7. SCHOOL GRADESEXTERNAL EXAMS ARTS WITHOUT IQ WITH IQ WITHOUT IQ WITH IQ β β β β SEX 0,330,00 0,30,00 0,210 0,02 IQ 0,310,00 0,250,00 GRADE 0,520,00 SCHOOL GRADESEXTERNAL EXAMS SCIENC E WITHOUT IQ WITH IQ WITHOUT IQ WITH IQ β β β β SEX 0,180,00 0,160,00 0,2 -0,110,00 IQ 0,370,00 0,280,00 GRADE 0,590,00

8. Sex differences (1) SCHOOL GRADES LANGUAGE ARTS & MATH Girls have better schools grades than boys – both at Polish and math STATE EXAM ARTS Girls get better scores on state exam than do boys SCIENCE Girls get the same scores on state exam as boys do

9. Sex differences (2) STATE EXAMS & SCHOOL GRADES When variability in school grades is taken into account in a model for predicting results on state exams it occurs …. ARTS the differences in scores between boys and girls disappear that is boys on state exam get better scores that it could be expected from their school grades in language arts SCIENCE boys get better scores in state exams in math than girls

10. IQ differences? IQboysgirlsAll N%N% Much above AV IQ10216,90%9413,10%196 above AV IQ12620,90%1886,20%314 AV IQ28346,90%36250,40%645 below AV IQ9215,30%7410,30%166 All603100%718100%1321

11. IQ differences?(2) Two main effects: IQ level ([F=117,15 df1=3 df2=1313 p<0,00001] Higher IQ level = higher educational achievements SEX ([F=47,32 df1=1 df2=1313 p<0,00001] Girls – higher educational achievements

12. IQ differences?(3) Interactions IQ X Assesment [F=5,84 df1=3 df2=1313 p<0,001]); IQ X Field [F=9,29 df1=3 df2=1313 p<0,00001); SEX X Assesment [F=45,85 df1=1 df2=1313 p<0,00001]); SEX X Field [F=107,36 df1=1 df2=1313 p<0,00001])

13. much above AV IQ -> assessed higher on exams below AV IQ -> assessed higher by teachers

14. much above AV IQ -> higher educational achivements in science

15. boys -> higher educational achievements in science girls ->higher educational achievements in arts

16. boys -> assessed higher on exams

17. IQ differences(some more)? Interesting?? NO significant interaction between Assessment X Field = same properties of exam in arts as exam in Science as compared to related school grades

18. IQ differences (some more)? OBVIOUS?? NO significant interaction between IQ and SEX (F=1,84 df1=3 df2=1313 p=0,29) The impact of IQ on educational achievements IS NOT mediated by SEX

19. We need more analysis, but … we already know… Although IQ predicts the exam scores, a best predictor seem to be teachers’ assessments (school grades) Who benefits from state exams?? –Above Average IQ students They get better results on exams than in the teachers’ assessments –Boys they would have been in much worse situation if they have had been accepted into a high school on the basis on their school grades

20. Is it so just in Poland?? THANK YOU