Premium
Spatial Ability Mediates the Gender Difference in Middle School Students' Science Performance
Author(s) -
Ganley Colleen M.,
Vasilyeva Marina,
Dulaney Alana
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/cdev.12230
Subject(s) - spatial ability , mental rotation , psychology , developmental psychology , test (biology) , psychological intervention , population , mathematics education , cognition , demography , paleontology , neuroscience , psychiatry , sociology , biology
Prior research has demonstrated a male advantage in spatial skills and science achievement. The present research integrated these findings by testing the potential role of spatial skills in gender differences in the science performance of eighth‐grade students (13–15 years old). In [Section 6. Study 1] ( N = 113), the findings showed that mental rotation ability mediated gender differences in physical science and technology/engineering test scores. In [Section 18. Study 2] ( N = 73,245), science performance was examined in a state population of eighth‐grade students. As in [Section 6. Study 1], the results revealed larger gender differences on items that showed higher correlations with mental rotation. These findings underscore the importance of considering spatial training interventions aimed at reducing gender differences in the science performance of school‐aged children.