Sex, Grade Level, and Risk Taking on Objective Examinations

Students in one school system in grades 5 through 11( 522 boys, 548 girls) responded to an objective examination which incorporated a measure of risk taking. The study was replicated in a second school system (600 boys, 691 girls). In each case the proportion of risk-taking variance associated with variation in grade level was approximately . 10 (significant at the . 05 level), with higher risk in grades 5, 6, and 7 than in grades 8, 9, 10, and 11. Boys took greater risks than girls in both school systems, but the proportion of risk-taking variance explained by sex was low ( approximately . 01) and significant (at the . 05 level) in only one school system. There was no interaction between grade level and sex.