Gender myths dispelled by university’s new maths study

A new study by Dundee University into maths attainment has found that there is no major disparity between the genders.

The first UK research of its kind for 13 years, carried out by Keith Topping, professor of education and social research at the university, and education assessment company Renaissance, found differences in maths skills between girls and boys to be almost negligible.

The study also found that regular and high-quality maths practice improves outcomes across the board and that primary pupils outperformed secondary students with better attainment scores.

The authors are now calling on teachers to push for a cultural change in schools, encouraging more girls to take up STEM subjects such as statistics, computer programming and electrical engineering to challenge the male stranglehold on careers in such fields.

Mr Topping analysed data from more than 20,100 pupils from primary and secondary schools using Renaissance’s Star Maths programme.

Mr Topping’s findings challenge many of the prevailing stereotypes around gender and the study of maths.

He said: “Maths skills are becoming more and more important in an increasingly digital and autonomous world. This study shows practically no difference between boys and girls when it comes to attainment.”