Gender Differences in Academic Achievement in Saudi Arabia: A Wake-Up Call to Educational Leaders

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22230/ijepl.2019v15n15a890

Keywords:

Academic achievement, Education attainment, Gender, Saudi Arabia, Subject value

Abstract

Educational leaders must consider equity in education as a priority to make sure all students receive the best education possible. Studies on this topic in Saudi Arabia, however, are still in the embryonic stage. This article, thus, examines whether significant differences in academic achievement exist between male and female students based on gender, subject value, and expectations of education attainment. From a sample study of 3,759 students, the findings showed that female outperformed male students in both math, science, and their domains. Further, the more students value a subject or expect to go far in their education, the higher the score for both students, but female still outperformed male students. Educational leaders should consider
these findings a wake-up call to the persistent academic achievement disparities.

Author Biography

Abdourahmane Barry, College of Education Taibah University, Medina, Saudi Arabia

Abdourahmane Barry is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at Taibah University, Medina, Saudi Arabia. Prior to joining Taibah University, he was a faculty member at D’Youville College, Buffalo, New York. His research interests include educational leader and teacher training and monitoring, education in developing countries, international partnership, and student academic performance. Abdourahmane Barry holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy with a concentration in educational administration; and a master’s degree in science of Education from the State University of New York at Buffalo, United States of America.

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Published

2019-12-19

How to Cite

Barry, A. (2019). Gender Differences in Academic Achievement in Saudi Arabia: A Wake-Up Call to Educational Leaders. International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership, 15(15). https://doi.org/10.22230/ijepl.2019v15n15a890