Gender difference in school language performance of Hong Kong primary students

Abstract

Gender differences in school language performance, as well as their relationship with parents’ language-related socialization and students’ reading motivation, were explored in primary grades 1, 3, 5 students (217 female, 162 male) in Hong Kong. A Gender x Grade ANCOVA, controlling for age and nonverbal intelligence, on school marks (Global score, Chinese, English, Mathematics, General Studies, Music, Visual Arts) revealed significant main effects of gender (ps<.05) in Global score (d=.234), Chinese (d=.368), English (d=.335), Music (d=.322) and Visual Arts (d=.347). Mediation analyses indicated self-efficacy, but not other aspects of students’ reading motivation, mediated between gender and both Chinese and English scores, while exposure to literacy-related activities mediated between gender and Chinese score. Separate mediation analyses found that Chinese and English scores, more than other significant mediator subjects, drove the female advantage in Global score. Educators are encouraged to promote both boys’ and girls’ self-efficacy and exposure towards literacy-related activities so as to boost their school language performance, thus their overall achievement.