More than a third of Australian 14-year-olds are failing to meet national maths standards, with girls falling further behind boys in both maths and science, according to the latest Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The data shows Victorian students lagging behind those in NSW, ACT, and Western Australia, and highlights a decline in year 8 girls' performance over time.
More than a third of Australian 14-year-olds are still failing to achieve national standards in maths, and girls are falling further behind their male peers in both maths and science.
“It might be just a blip,” she said. “But if it is a warning sign, it’s a chance for us to take stock of the push we’ve had to interest girls in STEM and see if it’s working.” Victorian students were behind those in NSW and the ACT in year 4 maths and behind those in the ACT and Western Australia in year 8 maths.
Australian year 8s performed worse in maths than those from eight other countries, behind Singapore – which has consistently topped the list – Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, England, Ireland and the Czech Republic. University of Melbourne global educational expert Pasi Sahlberg said failure to improve maths and science results was common among OECD countries.“It’s partly because of the similar things affecting our young people, more recently the digital media technologies and social media that is distracting young people’s abilities to concentrate.”
MATHEMATICS SCIENCE TIMSS GENDER GAP AUSTRALIA EDUCATION