This is a great example to use in class! In the end it means that students MUST understand the finer points of statistics if they are to make sense of even lowly news reports. Students often want to know why it's important to learn "this stuff" and here is some good motivation!
Thanks Annette Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 619-260-4006 [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---- Original message ---- >Date: Fri, 8 Aug 2008 17:27:36 -0700 >From: Richard Hake <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [tips] News Reports on "Gender Similarities Characterize Math >Performance" >To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)" <[email protected]> >Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > ********************************* > ABSTRACT: In a "Science" article titled "Gender > Similarities Characterize Math Performance," Hyde et > al. (2008)] reported their analysis of scores for > over 7 million students in state NCLB math > assessments, thereby stimulating four news reports. > Two of them [Lewin (2008) and Seattle Times (2008] > focus on the near equality of the *averages* for > males and females and carry headings to the effect > that girls and boys perform equally well in math. > One of them [Mac Donald (2008)] focuses on the > larger *variance* of male over female scores, > carries a heading with the opposite message "Math IS > Harder for Girls," and contains several misleading > statements. A fourth [Winstein (2008)] reports both > the average and variance aspects of the Hyde et al. > report and carries a more neutral heading "Boys' > Math Scores Hit Highs and Lows." To dig deeper see > the annotated references given in Part 2 of Hake & > Mallow (2008): 50 references to "Sex Differences in > Mathematical Ability: Fact or Artifact?" and 12 > references to "Harvard President Summers' > Speculation on Innate Gender Differences in Science > and Math." > ********************************* > > --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
