Wonder why your mother, as she holds the purse, is able to help the family through the global financial crisis the world is going through? It might be because women in the Philippines know more their math than men do.
Two consecutive studies of the Trends in International Science and Mathematics Study (TIMSS) consistently showed that Filipina students excel more in mathematics than their male counterparts.
In the 2003 TIMSS Philippine Report for Grade 8 Mathematics, it was shown that Philippine girls were "significantly better" than Philippine boys, overall and in the items of Number, Algebra, and Data.
"The Philippine girls performed significantly better than the Philippine boys, overall and in the items on Number, Algebra, and Data," the study said.
TIMSS 2003 is the third in a series of studies which offers a state-of-the-art assessment of student achievement in science and mathematics at the fourth and eighth grade levels
The data provided by TIMSS are useful for participating countries to reassess their programs in mathematics and science, and to examine and revise existing practices in curricular provision, textbook design, teacher preparation, school organization, and instructional practice.
The study also showed that in terms of average percent correct score by cognitive domain, Filipina students bested the males in items involving Knowing Facts and Procedures and Reasoning by a difference of four percent and two percent, respectively.
Both boys and girls performed equally on items involving Using Concepts and Solving Routine Problems.
Filipino students were better by a difference of one percent in Geometry, they are equal in Measurement but the girls performed better than the boys in Number, Algebra, and Data by a difference of three, four, and two percent, respectively.
An earlier study by TIMSS shows the same outcome in relation to performance of Filipina students as against the opposite sex.
In TIMSS-Repeat, which was done in 1999, Filipina students "performed relatively better" than the boys in all areas of mathematics.
"In three content areas and overall performance, Filipino girls did better than Filipino boys," the TIMSS-Repeat study said. Filipino girls performed well in Fractions and Number Sense; Data Representation, Analysis and Representation; and Algebra. "In Measurement and Geometry, Filipino girls did as well as Filipino boys," the study added.
This is in contrast to international studies showing that male students are better in mathematics than females, except in algebra.
Last year, 118 science and science and technology oriented schools from the 16 regions in the Philippines is took part in the TIMSS-Advanced aimed at gauging the performance of students in the country in relation to advanced science and mathematics.
Dr. Ester B. Ogena, Director of the Science Education Institute, said that the studies show that though empowering women in the scientific realm is an uphill climb, it is very possible to achieve that goal.
"Men and women both have intuitive values and practices that are influenced by their family upbringing and culture. Such are somehow expected to bring out the best of Filipino men and women in science and technology which are expected to create an impact for the country's development," she said. (30)
