Review of Related Literature

Interest in gender-related differences in academic performance has been stimulated by concerns about
the failure of female students to achieve their academic potential (Wentzel, 1988). Although the literacy
rate is more among boys than girls; it is quite interesting to observe that girls are securing better ranks
than boys in almost all the academic examinations.

The performance of every individual is not equal. There is a lot of variability and dispersion. In common
pupils' parlance there exists terms such as “bright student', “average student” and “dull student”. The
variability cannot be attributed to a single factor, but it is the outcome of number of factors as
intelligence, study habits, self-concept, creativity, aptitude, interests, socio economic factors, area etc.
Along with these, gender of the students also plays an influencing factor on academic achievement.
Academic achievement of students depends upon the sustained training and interests.

According to Wentzel (1988) the most widely reported findings in this area suggest that girls tend to do
better than boys in English and that, boys tend to excel in math. The literature also indicates that there
are age-related differences in these male and female performance patterns. For example, in a
longitudinal study of student performance on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, Lewis and Hoover (1983)
found that in the 4th, 6th, 8th, and 11th grades, females scored significantly higher than males in
English. Dingwall (1998) suggested that men and women tend to function differently in their brain. He
concluded that language function may be more organized in women.

Younger, Warrington and Williams (1999) focus on the gender gap in English secondary schools. Their
analysis is based on the performance of boys and girls in GCSE examinations in the UK and girls are found
to get better grades than boys. This phenomenon is explained by boys‟ disregard for authority, academic
work and formal achievement, differences in students‟ attitudes to work and their goals and aspirations
and girls‟ increased maturity and more effective learning strategies.

Ching (2011) studied the academic achievement of secondary students in relation with gender and year
level and results revealed that significant gender differences exists in academic performance of students.
Agarwal (1983) disclosed that females showed a higher reading ability and academic achievement than
males. Begum and Phukan (2001) conducted a study to analyse the relationship between academic
achievement and intelligence in boys and girls. Findings showed that there is a correlation between
academic achievement and intelligence of the students and the correlation was greater in case of girls
than boys. Verma (1996) studied the effect of study habits on academic achievement in Hindi and English
among students of X class and found that students possessing good study habits scored higher than
students possessing poor study habits in these courses.

Ali et al. (2013) explored the secondary school students‟ relationship of test anxiety with their
achievement in the subject of English. Findings indicated a negative correlation of test anxiety with
students‟ achievement in the subject of English also concluded that female had higher test anxiety than
male students.