LEARNING ACHIEVEMENTS : Gender differences in math achievements and teacher educators’ perspectives on students’ learning achievements at Teacher Training Collage in Afghanistan.

Abstract: The differences in learning achievements between male and female students in math have been an important topic in educational research field. In this field many international studies e.g. Trend in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)) have been conducted for many years. TIMSS study around 40 countries in the world in grade five shows that, in most countries boys and girls do similar in math. PISA study shows 15 years old boys do better than girls in the same age and level. In addition the study which was conducted in the Afghan context assessed that, girls in grade four do slightly better than boys in the same grade in math (Mansory, 2000).       The issue that I have studied here concerns the learning achievements level of male and female students at grade 13 and 14 at four TTC and the teacher educators’ perspectives related to male and female students learning achievements in mathematics in Afghanistan. In total, 503 male and female students and their 23 teacher educators’ perspectives from the four selected TTCs around Afghanistan, in three provinces (Jawzjan, Saripul, Mazar-e- Sharif and Khwaja- do-Koh district of Jawzjan province) are assessed in this study. Three TTCs are located in urban areas; one which is a Teacher Development Center is located in a rural area. The learning achievements of students were first assessed as a whole and then as a comparison between rural and urban areas were made. Two types of data are collected for this study, students’ scores were collected from the annul exam of students and compared with different variables to find the differences between male and female students. And questionnaires were used to obtain teacher educators’ perspectives about male and female students’ learning achievements. Questionnaire had 19 questions to achieve the purpose of the study, mostly the questionnaire asked about students’ learning achievements from school, in the class,   the impact of encouragement on male and female students’ learning achievements, the impact of teacher educators’ gender on students’ learning achievements. The results found from students’ scores and teacher educators’ perspectives are then highlighted and explored in the tables and then analyzed and discussed. The result found from students’ score showed that female students scored higher than male students after analyzing of the data. Further more students taught by male teacher educators had better result in average score than students who taught by female teacher educators. Teacher educators’ perspectives also explore many views about male and female students’ learning achievements in math. The data obtained from teacher educators’ perspective showed that most male and female students have low achievements level and difficulties in math from school. Teacher educators’ perspectives also explores there  are many other factors which influence male and female students’ learning achievements in math, for instance security, economy, distance to TTCs and environment. The mentioned factors have great impact on male and female students’ learning achievement from teacher educators’ views point in math.