Читать книгу Child Psychology - Jean-Pascal Assailly - Страница 55

Gender differences in academic achievement have long been a societal and scientific concern. Recent trends indicate that, on average, girls outperform boys in grades and verbal performance in school and that boys’ averages exceed those of girls in spatial and mathematical tasks.

Such differences have been documented in many countries, but have been found to be particularly prevalent in North America and economically developed countries.

In the vast literature on this topic, relatively few studies have considered differences in the non-parental child care settings where boys and girls spend their early years. Yet more than three-quarters of preschoolers in the United States attend some type of non-parental child care and attendance is correlated with school readiness and achievement.

One study (Gordona 2020) showed gender differences in child care arrangements among preschoolers in the United States: in families of high socioeconomic status, boys were more likely than girls to attend centers, but the reverse was true in less affluent families. Parents’ general perspectives that center- or home-based child care is better for preschool development and safety also differed depending on whether the child studied was a boy or girl in families of varying socioeconomic status. Given that center-based child care attendance for preschoolers has been associated with school readiness, it is important to understand and address these gender disparities. It would be interesting to obtain data on this topic in France.