Girls and boys solve math problems differently – with similar short-term results but different long-term outcomes

Girls and boys solve math problems differently – with similar short-term results but different long-term outcomes

by Sarah Lubienski, Indiana University; Colleen Ganley, Florida State University, and Martha Makowski, University of Alabama, [This article first appeared in The Conversation, republished with permission] Among high school students and adults, girls and women are much more likely to use traditional, step-by-step algorithms to solve basic math problems – such as lining up numbers to add, starting with the ones place, and “carrying over” a number …