A Meta-Analysis of Gender Differences in Applied Statistics Achievement

This meta-analysis of gender differences examines statistics achievement in postsecondary-level psychology, education, and business courses. Thirteen articles examining 18 samples were obtained and coded for the analysis. The average effect size was –0.08 standard deviation units favoring females; however, the results were heterogeneous. Although no model accounted for all between-studies variation, gender differences could best be predicted from the percentage of undergraduate students in the sample, the department offering the course, and the use of course grade or points for the outcome measure. Undergraduate males showed an advantage over undergraduate females. Univariate tests showed that males also significantly outscored females when the outcome was a series of exams. Conversely, females significantly surpassed males when the outcome was total course performance. Lastly, females outscored males in courses offered by business departments.