Alternative Measurement Models to Assess Gender Differences in Mathematics

Gender differences in mathematics can be assessed by means of different, alternative measurement models. In the Standard Model of empirical education research it is usually assumed that performance in solving mathematical tasks depends only upon a mathematical competency. By contrast the Nested-Factor Model, based on theoretical tenets of intelligence research, assumes that performance in solving mathematical tasks is also dependent upon mere intelligence. Usually the gender differences assessed when using the Standard Model are small and favor the boys. In this paper we analyze the German data of ninth graders (N = 29.171), who participated in the PISA-2000 Study, by modeling mathematical competency based on the Nested-Factor Model; this analysis results in much larger gender differences in favor of boys. We discuss these findings in the light of a new evaluation of gender differences in mathematics.