GENDER DIFFERENCES IN PREDICTORS OF COLLEGE MATHEMATICS PERFORMANCE AND IN COLLEGE MATHEMATICS COURSE-GRADES

Grades of men and women in 1st-year mathematics courses were obtained from a sample of 9 universities. In addition, placement test scores were available from 4 of the institutions. This information was combined with Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores and self-reported information on mathematics courses taken in high school, grades in those courses, and overall high school grade point average. College courses were divided into three categories (algebra, precalculus, and calculus). Within a given college mathematics course, the average grades of women were about equal to or slightly higher than men's average grades, but men's average scores on the mathematical scale of the SAT were above women's average scores by a third of a standard deviation or more.