Girls may get better exam grades because their teachers are biased towards them, a study has suggested. Researchers at the University of Trento in Italy found that when exams were marked independently and anonymously, boys did better in maths than girls, but when teachers marked their own class, girls came out on top. In tests graded from one to ten, the average grade for GCSE-aged girls was 6.3, while the boys averaged 5.9, below the pass mark of six in Italy. Scores of almost 40,000 test results revealed a systemic trend of girls receiving higher scores. Teachers in Italy base their grades on “the average of oral and written performance marks”. They may also take into account other factors, including “behaviour in the classroom, participation, engagement, perseverance and effort”. The researchers said that girls are stereotypically seen to show greater “precision, order, modesty and quietness” in class which “teachers may highly reward in grades”.
Source: Daily Mirror The Daily Telegraph The Times
Teachers display ‘bias ‘ towards girls, data show
Posted: 18th October 2022
