GENDER PERFORMANCE
DIFFERENCES IN
READING AND ASSESSMENT
TIMES FOR REGULAR AND
SPECIAL EDUCATION
STUDENTS IN
GRADE THREE
1
An Action Research Study
Submitted to
Professor Joan Sebastian
By
Jeri D. Stickney
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
Master of Science in Special Education
National University,
San Bernardino, California
January 31, 2006
2
Question
What are the effects of the SRA Reading
Laboratory 1C for individual and remedial
reading instruction, and what times are
optimal for reading assessment for regular
and special education males and females in
the third grade?
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Statement of Problem

Research indicates that public schools need to address
gender differences in reading.

Research indicates that male and female students may
learn differently and need different methods of instruction
and assessment times.

Federal and state demands for increased performance on
state assessments require scrutiny of gender (male and
female) subgroups in order to increase test scores.
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Literature Review Summary

Overall Gender Brain Differences

Gender Cognition Differences

Gender Performance Differences

Gender Brain Hemisphere Differences

Gender and Learning Disabilities

Gender Instruction and Assessment Implications
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Overall Gender Brain Differences

Hormones activate gender differentiation of brain
development early in utero.

Hormones appear to be organizational and activational in
regards to gender brain development.

Brain structure the same in males and females.

Specialization of neuron output and density in certain
areas of brain different in males and females.
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Gender Cognition Differences

General intelligence similar between genders.

Differences in specific areas.

Male advantage of mental rotation of two or three
dimensional objects , spatial perception tasks and
mathematical problem solving.

Female advantage of perceptual speed, perceptual
accuracy, verbal fluency and certain memory functions.
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Gender Performance Differences

Hormone influence is profound in gender performance
differences:
Males:
- Testosterone in males is highest at approximately 8:00
A.M. and lowest at 8:00 P.M.
- Males might do better in math and spatial skills in
morning when testosterone is highest.
- Males might do best on verbal and fine-motor skills in
afternoon when testosterone is lower.
8
Gender Performance Differences,
Continued
Females:
- Estrogen and progesterone levels in females highest at
ovulation and lowest during menstruation.
- During ovulation, females score higher on verbal
performance than fine-motor coordination and higher on
fine motor coordination than on math and spatial skills,
and even lower on math and spatial skills than males.
- During menstruation, when estrogen and progesterone is
at lowest, females score 50 to 100% higher on mental
rotation tests.
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Gender Brain Hemisphere
Differences
General Information
Left Hemisphere
Receptive and Expressive
Language
Right Hemisphere
Comprehension of language
- Includes speaking, reading,
writing, spelling, naming, and
- Superior to right in
distinguishing emotional tone,
stress, pitch and melody.
- Comprehension of grammar,
syntax and description that
includes time, rhythm, verbal
concept formation, analytical
reasoning, and verbal memory.
- Allows for interpretation of
context and feelings of a
speaker.
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Gender Brain Hemisphere
Differences, Continued
Manifestations of Gender Hemisphere Differences
Males
Language specialization in the left hemisphere
and emotional specialization in the right
hemisphere makes more difficult to
express emotion because thinner corpus
callosum.
Females
Corpus callosum (connects right and left
hemispheres of brain) is up to 23% thicker in
females than males.
Articulateness and fluency in language as a result.
Larger right hemisphere results in better visual
perception and discrimination which is
centered in right hemisphere.
Emotions in both hemispheres which allows for
easier access and ability to express feelings.
Adept at creating voluble vocabulary
More adept at utilizing vocabulary.
Better at visual tasks
Greater auditory perception which is centered in left
hemisphere.
Better at auditory tasks
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Gender and Learning Disabilities

Higher incidence of males in special education.

Possible Comorbid Causes:
- Prenatal abnormal testosterone influence
- Male Trait Behavior
- Biased psychological testing
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Gender and Learning Disabilities,
Continued

Prenatal abnormal testosterone influence.
- Possible slow down or acceleration of
migration of neurons from the neural crest
into the cortex might be interrupted and
cause disorders such as dyslexia or autism.
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Gender and Learning Disabilities,
Continued

Male behavior traits:
- Competition, aggression, self-reliance, selfassertion, and self-confidence.
- Higher incidence of negative behavior as a
result of these traits could bring learning
disabilities to the attention of educators to an
increased degree.
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Gender and Learning Disabilities,
Continued

Biased psychological testing
- Common discrepancy formula for IQ different for males
and females to predict reading from age or grade level.
- Intercept bias is lower for males and higher for females.
- Regressive intercept utilized for males and females causal
for overprediction of males and underprediction of
females.
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Gender Instruction and Assessment
Implications

Public schools appear geared to female
learners – more verbal instruction with
minimum of visual and hands on
instruction.

Emphasis on state testing results requires
attention of specific educational subgroups –
gender subgroups appear overlooked.
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Gender Instruction and Assessment
Implications, Continued
Four Recommendations
1. Assessment development might need to be gender specific.
2. Instructors might need to examine teaching styles and
instructional design to tailor lessons to each gender
learning differences.
3. More multimodal and hands on instruction.
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Gender Instruction and Assessment
Implications, Continued
4. Instruction might need to be gender specific in
single gender classrooms.
- Reduce gender stereotypes
- Instruction geared to male or female strengths
and development of areas of need.
- Reduce opposite gender pressure and distraction.
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Intervention

SRA Reading Laboratory 1C was implemented for
one trimester to one regular education classroom
of male and female third graders.

Records were kept of various assessments to
compare reading progress to the SRA program

Reading assessment was given in the morning and
afternoon to determine optimal assessment time.
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Data Collection

Seven sets of assessment
- SRA
- STAR NCR (National Curve Equivalent)
- Houghton Mifflan Selection Tests
- Accelerated Reader Houghton Mifflan Selection Tests
- Houghton Mifflan Theme 1 and 2 tests
- Report Card grades for Reading Comprehension
- Brigance Form A & B

Student Survey

Observational Field Notes
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Data Analysis, Assessment
Sets/Differential Mean Scores
SCORES
SRA
STAR
NCR
HOUGHTON
MIFFLAN
ACCELERATED
READER
THEMES
1&2
REPORT
CARDS
BRIGANCE
A.M./P.M.
Whole
Class
0.77
1.45
0.73
-4.86
-3.45
0.77
-23.63
Reg. Ed
Males
0.50
2.00
-1.50
-4.00
-0.04
-2.60
-30.00
Reg. Ed.
Females
1.10
2.80
2.30
-2.40
-3.9
3.00
-22.00
Sp. Ed.
Males
0.50
-8.00
4.00
-21.50
-21.00
6.50
0.00
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Data Analysis, Cont. SRA/STAR
Scatter Plot Differential Scores
STUDENT
SCORES
SRA
GAIN
SRA
STAYED
SAME
SRA
REGRESSED
STAR
GAIN
STAR
STAYED
SAME
STAR
REGRESSED
Whole
Class
14
4
4
10
2
10
Reg. Ed.
Males
5
2
3
4
2
4
Reg. Ed.
Females
8
1
1
5
0
5
Sp. Ed.
Males
1
1
0
1
0
1
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Data Analysis, Cont. Brigance
Scatter Plot Score Correlations
STUDENT
SCORES
GAINED
STAYED
THE
SAME
REGRESSED
Whole
Class
4
2
16
Reg. Ed.
Males
0
1
9
Reg. Ed.
Females
2
1
7
Sp. Ed.
Males
1
0
1
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Data Analysis Results

Correlated SRA and STAR tests for gains and static (stayed the same) reading
progression showed negative results .

Correlated SRA and STAR tests for regression of reading progression showed
positive results.

More students gained in SRA reading progression as compared to regression.

Females showed higher reading progression in the SRA program.

There was a balance of students who gained or regressed for STAR tests.

Most students scored better on the Brigance A.M. test than the Brigance P.M.
test

Special education males were balanced. One tested better on the A.M. test and
one tested better on the P.M. test.

Females scored higher overall than their males counterparts in all test sets.
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Teaching Practice Implications

Males did not progress, or score as well in reading
comprehension as their female counterparts.

Closer monitoring of the SRA program with better
assessment at the beginning, middle, and end of the
program is needed.

Longer SRA implementation time to study results over
time would provide better validity and reliability.

Change of instructional practice to optimize male reading
performance is needed.
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Future Research Implications

Male and Female brain development need to be intensely
studied in regards to optimizing educational success.

New methods of delivering and designing instruction need
to be developed.

Old methods need to be revised and possibly
reimplemented or updated.

Same gender classrooms need to be considered and
researched.

Frequent breaks, hands-on problem solving, and active
movement need to be imbedded in learning.
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Summary
This research project was designed to
discover whether gender differences might
exist and be of significance in reading and
assessment times for regular and special
education students in grade three. Research
and data indicate significant gender
differences in reading progress, and positive
results for morning assessment performance
for both genders.
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