Contributing factors to higher achievement in Botswana secondary schools : an analysis of educational gains of female and male students

Data were collected from 350 teachers and 5,600 pupils on the availability and use of instructional material, use of instructional time, types of teacher activities, language of instruction, and level of pupil engagement and effort. The study found that in Botswana, more girls than boys enroll in junior secondary school; however, girls do drop out at a higher rate. Girls outperform boys on English achievement tests both before and after instruction. And, because English proficiency is required to succeed in math, there is a spillover effect on math achievement as well. These findings refute the hypothesis that girls enroll in junior secondary school because they are not needed in the labor market but drop out because of poor performance. Social and family pressures may contribute significantly to a girl"s decision to drop out. Having a female teacher is a strong and consistent contributing factor for gains on English achievement tests for male and female students. Pupils with female teachers in the classroom gain almost two more correct answers on English exams than pupils with male teachers. This occurs even though female teachers generally receive lower wages, are less likely to receive school housing, and have fewer chances for in-service training than male teachers. At this stage, however, it cannot be concluded that the increase in female students attending schools and the outperforming of male students by female students are due to having female teachers. Other findings are as follows: (1) Teacher training provided at the Educational Centers is affecting student math achievement. Schools having larger percentages of the teachers trained at the Centers have higher average math score gains than schools having smaller percentages. (2) Female teachers employ more "traditional" teaching methods, i.e., written assignments, close-ended questions, and monitoring of students in class. (3 Time in school makes a significant difference in explaining learning gains. The structure of labor demand in Botswana allows for considerable periods of discretionary time for many youths. Strategies that raise the amount of time spent in school will likely boost achievement. Includes references.