Implication of gender in the reading test of the Education Quality Measurement System (SIMCE). Analysis of gender, geographic origin, socioeconomic group, and ethnicity in Araucanía region

Abstract

This article presents the results from a research which analyzed the gender gap in the reading portion of the Education Quality Measurement System (SIMCE) standardized test scores between the years 2006 and 2014 among students of grades 4, 8, and 10 in Región de la Araucanía, Chile. The study addresses data which has been disaggregated by sex in relation to the variables of geographic area, dependency and socioeconomic group within the educational establishment, as well as considering factors such as students belonging to the indigenous Mapuche community. We conclude that females significantly surpass males in the three levels analyzed. Additionally, the gap between males and females has increased over the years in the majority of the groups studied. Finally, we estimate that this gap –barely addressed by public politics– is transversal with little sensitivity to the variables analyzed.