Unraveling Factors for Gender Discrepancies in Students ' Mathematics Performance in Tanzanian Secondary Schools

Abstract

This study investigated the factors leading to gender discrepancies instudents ' Mathematics performance and how they could be addressed.Data were collected from 762 Form Four students sampled from 83 publicsecondary schools in Tanzania and analyzed using descriptive statistics,latent mean analyses and thematic analysis techniques. Quantitativeresults indicated that students evaluated their Mathematics teachers ' instructional practices positively across gender. Qualitative resultsshowed that students had gendered perceptions toward Mathematicsand perceived it as a masculine subject. Further, findings unveiled thatstudents ' masculine orientation toward Mathematics was partly attributedto a biased distribution of domestic chores, social persuasions about girls ' ability in Mathematics and restrictive parenting of girls. Also, the findingsindicated that gender discrepancies in Mathematics performance could beaddressed by providing gender education to teachers and parents, availingadequate learning resources and creating supportive home learningenvironments for girls. Based on the findings, practical and theoreticalimplications are drawn.Keywords: gender discrepancies, mathematics performance, secondaryschools, students