What is it about?
The authors conducted a meta-analysis to examine gender differences in educational assessments in African countries. We analyzed the primary database of the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ) assessments. This study included a review of the relevant literature on meta-analysis techniques and an overview of SACMEQ and gender issues in kindergarten (K)–12 in developing countries.
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Why is it important?
The process of meta-analysis employed in this methodological study included searching, coding, calculations of effect sizes and their variances, weighting, confidence interval plots, Q tests, funnel plots, and a discussion of results, implications, and future research. The authors found a small significant gender difference in mathematics in favor of boys and an insignificant gender difference in reading. Moreover, fertility rate was found to be an important predictor of the gender gap in reading and math.
Perspectives
It is the third-world countries, of which African countries are a part, that still struggle with gender disparity in student achievement and education access. The statistical technique of meta-analysis is chosen for this present study because it provides an overall picture of the extent of the gender gap.
Researcher in Public Affairs & Health Science Jiwon N. Speers
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A meta-analysis of gender gap in student achievement in African countries, International Review of Public Administration, October 2014, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/12294659.2014.967372.
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