Girls Perform Better Than Boys In Reading Test in School, Something Wrong With The Tests?

Little girls at schools show better and faster reading skills as compared to boys!  Girls show smarter performance from the tender age of 7+ to 15, when it comes to reading. The difference diminishes in adults after hitting the age of 16 and above.

The difference in small girls and boys are pretty obvious. The reading tests showed that girls read faster and more correctly than boys. Even the other tests of language that included vocabulary and comprehension, girls achieved prominently higher grades, reports Jstor.

The reading tests include extracting information from the text, draw a conclusion, interpret information and assess language. Regardless which if these measures are taken into consideration, girls perform better. The difference is clear in Nordic countries.

After hitting the 16 years of age the difference between the girls and boys start diminishing. Reading ability is a vital factor in successful education work and business but Nordic areas witness no gender difference in these fields. Women are not stepping ahead men. In fact, men are showing better performance in employment or job or participation in the society and earning more than women, according to Science Daily.

Hypothesis shows that the reason for girls' better performance in the childhood is neither their IQ nor teaching methods. Some researchers explain it that girls are subject to certain expectations and requirements. But that is a weak explanation.  The convincing and real reason is still not clear.

Literacy researchers Oddny Judith Solheim and Kjersti Lundetræ of the Norwegian Reading Centre, University of Stavanger shares his opinion after the investigation of the tests and says that it seems that the reason is in the tests as they are designed in a way that appeals girls. This is one explanation.  

Solheim adds that the tests given to the students in the school contain longer fictional texts. Girls are interested in reading long texts and this may be affecting the results of tests. This is the second explanation of why girls score better.

Challenge is now to find out how to create reading tests that would appeal to all boys and girls equally. Future new tests must give a better basis for recording the performance of boys and girls, concludes Solheim.