It has been the belief that girls are better than boys when it comes to reading. However, a new study questions this notion. With reading tests at school, the question is why are girls better than boys?
A perception persists that girls could read better than boys. This notion has been around for so long. A new study though is calling this notion into question. Researchers from the University of Stavanger have looked into this belief as well as researched on studies made by PIRLS and PISA.
The study notes that reading comprehension in Nordic countries has a gap between girls and boys. This is most apparent in 10 year old children who take PIRLS. This is also noticed in 15 year olds who take PISA. While the tests seem to show that girls perform better than boys in reading comprehension, this changes later on.
The study has shown that this gender gap in reading comprehension becomes lesser as people mature. In people ages 16-24 years old, this gap is less or else disappears. This has been the result that the study of Oddny Judith Solheim and Kjersti Lundetrae from the University of Stavanger have found. The result could not possibly be because of a difference in IQ, according to Science Daily.
The researchers have focused on how the tests themselves have been made. A comparison has been made in the PIRLS, PISA and PIAAC tests. Solheim has said that the tests could have been made that favor girls more than boys. In PIAAC tests aimed for adults, the difference has largely lessened or else the gap almost completely closed.
One possible explanation is that PIRLS and PISA tests have more continuous texts. Such texts might contain descriptive or narrative words, which highly favor girls more. Boys are more geared towards non-continuous text though such as forms and advertisements, as AlphaGalileo reports.
This could also be a reason why boys are less motivated to read than girls, as boys lean more towards non-continuous text than girls. Solheim has said that there is a need to create better reading comprehension tests that would actually show the reading skills in both genders. With reading tests in school, it is asked why are girls better than boys? The study has shown the possible answer to this. Also a study shows religious people won't likely own a gun.
