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Middle school as a critical period.

1. Several factors converge at this age.

2. Middle school is a critical period for declining interest in math/science for both boys and girls.

3. However, more girls appear to "lose interest" than boys.

• How much of this results from declining interest in the subject, and how much results from other factors, including influence of stereotypes?  [Note that this is a period where "gender intensification" may be a contributing factor]

• what children do (earlier in life) may be more predictive than what they say at this age

4. Among some girls, achievement actually drops, while  their self-esteem subsequently goes up

5. the most successful strategies for teaching science at this age appear to be sustained projects which are both age appropriate and connected to the real world.

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6. It is important to note that "tracking" may begin in middle school...tracking can be discriminatory (e.g. if girls are selectively placed in slower "tracks" in spite of having higher grades) and can affect the long term options that students have.

Self-concept.

1. By the end of High School, generally speaking, girls' self-concept has declined, and is lower than boys'.

• There can be many factors involved in this (not just scholastic)

• valedictorian study: Karen Arnold "Lives of Promise" 1995.  

2. It appears that strategies that work for girls in high school (studying, participating less actively as boys, etc.) may not work in college (and