Open AccessGender Differences in Academic Achievement in Saudi Arabia: A Wake-Up Call to Educational Leaders
Author(s) -
Abdourahmane Barry
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
international journal of education policy and leadership
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1555-5062
DOI - 10.22230/ijepl.2019v15n15a890
Subject(s) - academic achievement , educational attainment , equity (law) , value (mathematics) , educational equity , subject (documents) , psychology , gender equity , sample (material) , mathematics education , medical education , pedagogy , political science , sociology , gender studies , medicine , chemistry , chromatography , machine learning , library science , computer science , law
Educational leaders must consider equity in education as a priority to make sure all students receive the best education possible. Studies on this topic in Saudi Arabia, however, are still in the embryonic stage. This article, thus, examines whether significant differences in academic achievement exist between male and female students based on gender, subject value, and expectations of education attainment. From a sample study of 3,759 students, the findings showed that female outperformed male students in both math, science, and their domains. Further, the more students value a subject or expect to go far in their education, the higher the score for both students, but female still outperformed male students. Educational leaders should considerthese findings a wake-up call to the persistent academic achievement disparities.