Math stuff for boys? Blame stereotypes

(ANSA) - BOLZANO, JAN 17 - Is math stuff for boys? According to a study by the Free University of Bolzano it would seem so, even if the causes are not cognitive but stereotypes. In fact, the first results of the GegaMath research project, coordinated by prof.
Giorgio Bolondi. The aim is to photograph the situation in South Tyrol and support school administrations in the design of suitable measures to overcome the gender gap in learning mathematics in primary and secondary school.
In all the systems for evaluating the effectiveness of the educational systems - Invalsi in Italy, Vera in Germany or Pisa for the OECD - one figure is uniformly present: male students obtain better results than female colleagues. To deepen the phenomenon of the 'gender gap' in learning mathematics in the schools of South Tyrol, in 2018 prof. Giorgio Bolondi, Professor of Mathematics Education in Bressanone, started the GegaMath research project. What Bolondi and his research team want to understand is what the situation is at the local level and how supportive measures can be applied to a more effective acquisition of mathematical knowledge by the students. The results of the GegaMath project were presented to the Italian and German school offices. "In the near future, we hope that these indications can act as a stimulus for the development, even if necessary, of guidelines to improve the mathematical performance of the students of the province", concludes the professor.
(HANDLE).