When Girls Learn More Than Boys: The Influence of Time in School and Pedagogy in Botswana

Girls often outperform boys in language and reading achievement. The recent study of reading skills by the International Association for the Evaluation of Education Achievement found female students at the junior-secondary level to have comparatively higher proficiencies in 28 of 31 countries. The authors explore in the context of Botswana's junior-secondary schools how school and family factors influence young females' widespread advantage in acquiring literacy and reading skills. Research on female school attainment is reviewed; the Botswana Teacher, Classroom, and Achievement Study described; and empirical findings presented on how time in school, teacher characteristics, and their pedagogical practices influence female and male achievement. The study assessed how much English and Math was learned over one academic year among 4948 form 1 and form 2 students from 31 junior-secondary schools. 214 teachers were observed during at least two class periods for one week. It is noted in closing that time in school can be a very influential factor, Botswana's junior-secondary schools seem to be reducing differences in educational attainment across different local communities, and specific school and classroom features which are raising achievement remain a mystery. Study findings have implications for how learning gains for girls may be raised.