The Results
The Survey Breakdown
Data collection this project implemented a social media account along with a typical survey form. This survey was answered by random participants and the questions posed were in relation to indicators and potential contributors of the academic achievement gap.
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These included the following topics
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Sex or Gender of the Participant at Birth
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The Participant's High School GPA
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The Sex or Gender of the Participant's High School Valedictorian (the graduating class' student with the highest GPA)
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The Participant's Learning Style
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The Participant's review of their Learning Experience throughout their high school career.
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& More
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*Note: The Instagram account, @schoolexperience, was the method by which specific survey questions were offered to the public. The standard survey containing all the survey questions was mostly taken by fellow college students, ages ranging from 18-22
What was Found
After data collection finished, the survey results were compiled and the following statistics on the surveyed participants were found.
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Upon graduating from high school, Male Students had an average GPA of 3.7 while Female Students had an average GPA of 3.1
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Of the valedictorians, or students with the highest GPA in their high school graduating class, 73% were Female.
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For Learning Styles, more Male and Female students reported preferring the Kinesthetic or Hands-On Learning Style over Visual, Aural, and Read/Write.
56% and 53% respectively.
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When asked whether or not their high school classrooms tailored education to their learning styles, this what was reported.
Male: 44% Agreed, 37% were Neutral, 19% Disagreed
Female: 46% Agreed, 7% were Neutral, 47% Disagreed
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Finally, when asked to give a rating from 1 to 10 on their learning experience as whole throughout their high school career, both Male AND Female students responded with an average 7 out of 10.
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Conclusion
Surprisingly, the results from the surveys were not totally in line with the research found in years prior.
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What was expected was a significant difference between Male and Female students in all areas with Female students having a higher GPA,, higher percentage of valedictorians, a different learning style preference, and a higher average score for their high school experience. The only expectation met was in relation to the valedictorians.
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So what does this mean? Likely, it means that Female Students still dominate the higher end of education in pursuit of not just passing classes but excelling at them. However, in regards to the average student, the data points to Male Students having higher GPAs on average.
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What's more is that based off this data, there are more similarities between Male and Female Students than anticipated. Learning style, views on high school education, and overall learning experience are almost congruent for both Male and Female Students.
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To conclude, there are still differences between Male and Female students regarding their success in school, but there are also consistent similarities between the two groups in regards to Learning Style and views on high school education. However, it is likely that more research is needed as these interpretations only apply to the surveyed population.
