T-test

Is there a significant difference in the Math Ability of the respondents when grouped according
to gender?
Table 1. Math Grades According to Gender

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Males 70 58 70 76 78 83 85 86 88 88 90 93 50 56 79 81 82 82
Females 80 75 99 88 67 34 24 80 66 98 70 60 75 80 94 79 79

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37
Males 84 87 88 89 90 91 93 95 99 83 85 85 85 87 87 97 98 99 99
Females

Table 2. T-Test: Two-Sample Assuming Equal Variances Results

MALES FEMALES
Mean 84.21621622 73.41176471
Variance 130.6186186 398.5073529
Observations 37 17
Pooled Variance 213.0459215
Hypothesized Mean Difference 0
df 52
t Stat 2.526356037
P(T<=t) one-tail 0.007304171
t Critical one-tail 1.674689154
P(T<=t) two-tail 0.014608341
t Critical two-tail 2.006646805

Table 3. Math Grade Description Table 4. Differences in Math Ability when

Categories grouped According to Gender
Range: Description Gender Frequency Mean Description P-value
>=75 F Male 37 84.2162 B- 2.52636
75.001 - 80.000 C Female 17 73.4118 F
81.001 - 85.000 B-
85.001 - 90.000 B P- Value: SIGNIFICANT
90.001 - 95.000 A-
95.001 - 99.999 A
Interpretation: The difference in Math Ability between genders is significant, with males having

a mean score of 84.2162 and females having a mean score of 73.4118. This suggests that males

perform better in Math compared to females. These findings are consistent with previous studies

conducted on college students by Ball, J.H. (2014), which found that females perform lower than

males in stereotype-threat conditions but perform similarly when the math test is presented as

gender-fair. Additionally, another study by Ganley, C.M. (2011) showed that females' heightened

worry may affect their working memory, leading to gender differences in math performance.

Further studies also revealed that The increased dominance of men may lead to poorer performance

by women on tasks that are stereotypically associated with males, particularly in mixed-sex groups

as opposed to female-male pairs (Grover, 2018).

However, a study by Pau, B., & Matthijs, O. (2019) revealed that females demonstrate better

sustained performance across all subjects, including Math and Sciences, due to their self-discipline

and more developed attitudes towards learning. This study also found that longer tests were

associated with female students narrowing the gender gap in Math, suggesting that gender

differences in coping with time pressure may account for the discrepancy in performance. Another

study also indicated that females are more inclined to study and do better in mathematics because

they make better academic choices than males (Prasad, 2015). Lastly, the evidence in a study

indicating that girls have achieved and surpassed boys in various measures of STEM ability over

time implies that the gender gap observed in the past was likely a consequence of social or

psychological differences, rather than biological ones. (Alkhadrawi, 2015.).

 Anova Test
Is there a significant difference in the Math Ability of the respondents when grouped according
to gender?
Table 1. Math Grades According to School Location
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Rural 50 67 66 76 81 80 60 85 79 79 87 89 75 94
Suburban 70 56 34 84 88 85 75 80 88 85 87 91 86 88 79 85 70 93 80
Urban 88 87 90 93 97 83 90 99 95 98 99 99 99

Table 2. Anova: Single Factor Results

Groups Count Sum Average Variance

Rural 14 1068 76.2857 143.604
Suburban 19 1504 79.1579 197.918
Urban 13 1217 93.6154 30.2564

Source of
Variation SS df MS F P-value F crit
Between Groups 2358.26 2 1179.13 8.75319 0.00065 3.21448
Within Groups 5792.46 43 134.708
Total 8150.72 45

Table 3. Math Grade Description

Categories
Table 4. Differences in Math Ability when
Range: Description grouped According to School Location
>=75 F
School
75.001 - 80.000 C Freq Mean Description F-value
Location
81.001 - 85.000 B- Rural 14 76.28571 C 8.75319
85.001 - 90.000 B Suburban 19 79.15789 C
90.001 - 95.000 A- Urban 13 93.61538 A-
95.001 - 99.999 A
F - Value: SIGNIFICANT
Interpretation: The Difference in the Math Ability of the respondents when grouped according to

school location is significant. The result of the test implies that the school location has a direct

effect on the Math Ability of the respondents. The average mean score for rural schools is 76.286,

categorized as C, while suburban schools have an average mean score of 79.158, also categorized

as C. In contrast, urban schools have an average mean score of 93.615, categorized as A-. The

results indicate that students from urban schools have significantly higher math abilities than those

from rural and suburban schools.

The substantial difference in mean scores between rural, suburban, and urban schools may

indicate that urban schools have better resources, such as teaching materials, library access, and

internet connectivity, and employ more highly qualified teachers than rural and suburban schools.

In a research of Aman, T.M., 2018, it was demonstrated that students in rural high schools in North

Carolina experience lower levels of achievement and are negatively impacted by challenges

associated with rural schools. This research used quantitative analysis to show there is a

geographic achievement gap between rural and non-rural high schools in North Carolina based

on standardized tests. It was also found in a similar study that working class students had

significantly poorer educational outcomes than any other social class. This confirms that

educational disadvantage is a problem in rural areas and not necessarily confined to urban areas of

socio-economic disadvantage. (Fuentes, 2012). The math ability of students enrolled in urban

schools may have been influenced by first-year programs and initiatives focusing on student’s

academic performance. (Reed, 2019).

 However, Based on the findings of Lonneville, J.D., 2014, the negative relationship of

poverty and student achievement is stronger in suburban and urbans schools than in rural school

which is probably due to the sense of belonging and sense of community that enable rural schools

to better overcome the negative impact of poverty which probably help improve the Math Ability

of students living in rural areas. Additionally, U.S. urban high school student graduates are lagging

behind their suburban peers in mathematics achievement, particularly in their community college

placement test performances. (Benaoui, 2016). Another study in Shelby county states that large

urban districts are often marked by entrenched poverty, greater racial/ethnic isolation, larger

concentrations of immigrant populations, and more frequent rates of student mobility affecting the

increase of dropout rates in urban schools. (Maxwell, 2017). Thus, affecting the Math ability of

students enrolled in urban schools.

 References

Math Ability According to Gender (T-Test)

Related Studies:

Ball, J. H. (2014). The impact of stereotype threat on high school females' math performance:

Moderators and an intervention (Order No. 3662472). Available from ProQuest Dissertations

& Theses Global. (1654486005). Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-

theses/impact-stereotype-threat-on-high-school-females/docview/1654486005/se-2.

Ganley, C. M. (2011). Gender differences in math performance across development: Exploring

the roles of anxiety, working memory, and stereotype threat (Order No. 3456140). Available

from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (871871053). Retrieved from

https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/gender-differences-math-performance-

across/docview/871871053/se-2.

Grover, S. S. (2018). Gendered Peer Interaction Dynamics in Engineering and Math (Order No.

10744032). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (2047449818).

https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/gendered-peer-interaction-dynamics-

engineering/docview/2047449818/se-2.

Contradicting Studies:

Alkhadrawi, A. A. (2015). Gender differences in math and science choices and preferences

(Order No. 10306761). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

(1867574002). https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/gender-differences-math-

science-choices/docview/1867574002/se-2.
Pau, B., & Matthijs, O. (2019). Females show more sustained performance during test-taking

than males. Nature Communications, 10(1)https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-11691-y.

Prasad, S. (2015). A model for placement in college mathematics (Order No. 3715776). Available

from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1710812984).

https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/model-placement-college-

mathematics/docview/1710812984/se-2.

Math Ability According to School Location (Anova Test)

Related Studies:

Aman, T. M. (2018). The geographic achievement gap: A quantitative investigation into

academic success in rural and non-rural public high schools in north carolina (Order No.

11017881). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (2187689398).

Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/geographic-achievement-

gap-quantitative/docview/2187689398/se-2.

Fuentes, A. (2012). Closing the Mathematical Achievement Gap Through the Heart To the Brain:

A Case Study of Urban High School Mathematics Teachers' Perceptions of How Their

Emotional Intelligence Facilitates Instruction and Learning in the Classroom (Order No.

3498398). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (928072106).

https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/closing-mathematical-achievement-gap-

through/docview/928072106/se-2.
Reed, E. (2019). What Works? Supporting Students from Urban School Districts at a Midwestern

University (Order No. 27663271). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

(2335254777). https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/what-works-supporting-

students-urban-school/docview/2335254777/se-2.

Contradicting Studies:

Benaoui, M. (2016). The impact of self-efficacy in mathematics on urban high school graduates'

math performance (Order No. 10168265). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

Global. (1831909391). https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/impact-self-efficacy-

mathematics-on-urban-high/docview/1831909391/se-2.

Lonneville, J. D. (2014). Why some school districts outperform others: A mixed-methods study

on poverty, student performance on the New York state school assessments, and school

district funding across rural, suburban, and urban school districts (Order No. 3629359).

Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1562001094).

https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/why-some-school-districts-outperform-

others-mixed/docview/1562001094/se-2.

Maxwell, P. Y. (2017). An Evaluation of Voluntary Pre-kindergarten (VPK) Participation on First

and Second Grade Reading and Math Performance in an Urban School System (Order No.

10799356). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (2027359838).

https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/evaluation-voluntary-pre-kindergarten-

vpk/docview/2027359838/se-2.