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Past research has demonstrated that males outperform females in mathematics (Hyde, J. S., Fennema, E., & Lamon, S. J., Psychol Bull 107:139–155, ). Research has also shown that encouraging mindful learning–learning information in a conditional rather than an absolute way–can increase mathematics performance in females (Ritchhart, R., & Perkins, D. N., J Social Issues 56:27–47, ). This paper examines the moderating role of mindful learning for gender differences, by manipulating mindful learning for females’ and males’ performance on a novel math task. The results from this study show that males performed better than females when mindful learning was not encouraged (absolute instruction), but males and females performed equally well when mindful learning was encouraged (conditional instruction). Thus we find that mindful learning moderates gender differences in math performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robotics Education (RE) is viewed as a tool to narrow the gender gap in STEM fields, especially for promoting girls' learning. As an emerging and potential model in RE, Pair Learning (PL) is different from Individual Learning (IL), which is impacted by many factors. Among them, social factors need to be further explored. Therefore, this study emphasized gender as a key social factor and focused on girls' learning performance in different learning models (IL and PL) and gender pairing patterns (boy-girl and girl-girl), as well as exploring the effective pedagogy for enhancing girls' learning performance in RE. To this end, we conducted a comparison experiment in two classes from the fifth grade in a Chinese primary school. Results indicated that: (a) PL outperforms IL in enhancing girls' learning engagement; (b) PL and IL have the same effect on the girls' learning attitude and robotics works; (c) Mixed-gender pairing is more beneficial for girls to complete robotics works than single-gender pairing; and (d) Mixed-gender pairing and single-gender pairing have the same effects on girls' learning attitudes and engagement. The key findings, possible reasons, and implications for practice are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although computer games as a way to improve students' learning have received attention by many educational researchers, no consensus has been reached on the effects of computer games on student achievement. Moreover, there is lack of empirical research on differential effects of computer games on diverse learners. In response, this study empirically examined the effects of playing computer games on math achievement of 4th graders, with special focus on gender and language minority groups. The study used the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a nationally representative database of the USA. The study performed regression analyses using more than 170,000 U.S. 4th-grade students by applying a proper weight and considering design effects to have high generalizability. The study specified three models for analyses: ELL Model, Gender Model, and Interaction Model. The results showed that English-speaking students who played computer math games in school every day displayed significantly lower math achievement than those who never played. Contrastingly, positive effects of daily computer use were noted among male students whose first language was other than English. Male language minority students who daily played computer games in math demonstrated higher math performance scores compared with their male English-speaking counterparts who never played. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]