GENDER SIMILARITIES INSTEAD OF GENDER DIFFERENCES: STUDENTS' COMPETENCES IN REASONING AND PROOF

The discussion of gender differences in mathematics competition has a long tradition, being challenged recently by Hyde's gender similarities hypothesis. In a reanalysis of four quantitative empirical studies with 2809 students of lower secondary schools we investigated performance in geometry proof from a differential perspective. Only a few significant differences could be found in proof performance as well as in growth of achievement within this field. They have only small effect sizes and do not show a uniform tendency in favour of one sex.