Learning Gap between Male and Female Students in Upper Secondary Education

Project Objective

This study aims to shed light on the disparity in learning outcomes between male and female students and the factors that lead to the learning gap. Specifically, the research objectives are:

• To identify the main drivers that influence students learning achievement in high school.
• To examine how those factors contribute to the learning gap between males and females.

Project Description

The gender gap in achievement, which refers to the disparity in academic performance between male and female students, has been a subject of interest not only in education research but also in political and economic contexts. The current discourse surrounding the “gender gap” centres on the question as to whether male students truly exhibit lower academic performance and achievement than their female counterparts across levels and fields of education. This focus has shifted from the historical concern of girls’ underachievement to the present-day decline in boys’ academic performance. This phenomenon now indicates a significant concern in Cambodia. Therefore, the Prime Minister emphasised this matter and raised an important question to the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport (MoEYS) regarding potential solutions to reverse this trend. He added that if the Ministry lacks comprehension of the underlying determinants that contribute to these results, formulating a strategy to reverse them can prove ineffective. In light of this matter, CDRI’s CERI, in collaboration with MoEYS’ Department of Policy (DoPo), will undertake research to explore the implications of gender-based disparities in academic performance.