Girls Are Only Smarter Because They Work Harder?

                In an article titled “Self-Discipline Gives Girls the Edge:  Gender in Self-Discipline, Grades, and Achievement Test Scores” by Angela Duckworth and Martin Seligman I read about how it is believed girls do better in school compared to boys because they have more self-discipline.  The study discusses girls’ grades in major subjects, as well as their scores on academic and IQ tests, and compares those results to the boys’ results.  Girls had higher grades than boys in all subjects, despite scoring lower than the boys on academic and IQ tests.  Duckworth and Seligman go on to discuss how these results appear to show that it is because girls work harder in the classroom.  They achieve higher grades because they put forth more effort than boys, not necessarily because they are more intelligent.  This thought seems to coincide with Dweck’s growth mindset.  Because the girls are willing to try harder, they are able to not only achieve better grades for themselves, but are also able to appear more intelligent than the boys, though test scores show otherwise.

                The authors in this article appear to believe that intelligence is based on a test score.  This in itself is unfair.  I’m sure you all can think of someone who just doesn’t test well, but may be able to solve any complex math equation you throw at them, or maybe they can spout off thousands of historical facts.  Are these people not intelligent?  I tend to disagree with that.  Yes test scores can show how intelligent someone is but there are many other things that factor into it.

                Also, the authors state that girls’ grades are higher because they work harder in the classroom.  That may be true, but the way they word the article makes it seem as if boys don’t try at all.  That is definitely false.  Throughout my years of high school and even my few weeks in college so far, I have found plenty of boys who try extremely hard to excel in the classroom.  I have also seen many girls who don’t try at all.  I believe it all depends on a person’s personality or mindset  Girls and boys are different, but at the same time the same.  You will see both girls and boys on either side of the spectrum, some that really excel, but also some who don’t fare so well.  .  Like I previously stated, it all goes back to having the growth mindset Dweck speaks about and being willing to work hard to achieve the grade you want.

Reference:
Duckworth, A., & Seligman, M. (2006). Self-Discipline Gives Girls the Edge: Gender in Self-Discipline, Grades and Achievement Test Scores. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(1), 198-208. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.98.1.198.