Developmental Differences Between Boys And Girls
There are developmental differences between gifted girls and boys. Giftedness is evident in the girls at an earlier age than boys (Silverman, 1986). Gifted girls are likely to speak earlier, to read earlier, and to write earlier than gifted boys. High-IQ girls tend to be taller, stronger, and healthier than girls of average IQ (Terman & Oden, 1935). Nevertheless, gifted girls may feel less physically competent than gifted boys (Chan, 1988).
Gifted boys are taller, stronger, and healthier than average boys (Terman & Oden, 1935). They are likely to have earlier large muscle development and therefore are more active and physically competent than gifted girls (Kerr & Cohn, 2001). However, they are likely to be less advanced in language development than gifted girls, and are less likely to be precocious readers (Silverman, 1986).
Ability/Achievement Differences Between Gifted Boys And Girls
There are also ability and achievement differences between gifted girls and boys. Gifted girls outperform gifted boys in classroom achievement throughout the school years, maintaining higher grades in all subjects (Gallagher, 1985). Boys are much more likely to be underachieving than girls. This may be the result of deliberate camouflage of talents.
Nevertheless, there continue to be differences favoring boys at the highest levels of achievement on standardized achievement tests. In 1988, a study was conducted using the ACT scores. On four subtests, males outperformed females at the highest levels on the ACT mathematics, natural sciences, and social studies. Only on the English subtest did females outperform males. There were three times as many males who earned perfect math scores; five times as many males earned perfect natural sciences scores; and two and a half times as many males got perfect social studies scores (Colangelo & Kerr, 1991). Although the gap is narrowing, it appears that in math and science, gifted males tend to hold the lead in achievement test scores.
The lower composite scores for females on the ACT seem to be based more on a lack of preparatory coursework than on their actual ability. Until recently, gifted girls took fewer and less challenging math, science, and social studies courses than gifted males.
Socialization Issues Of Gifted Girls And Boys
Gifted girls are more similar to gifted boys than to average girls in their interests, attitudes, and aspirations. Gifted girls enjoy a wide variety of play activities, including many of those activities traditionally associated with boys: outdoor activities, adventurous play, sports, and problem-solving activities. They also frequently maintain feminine interests, such as playing with dolls and reading girls’ magazines (Silverman, 1986; Terman & Oden, 1935). They are likely to be more open to playing with both girls and boys. They often play with toys in a more complex way, inventing new games with even the most passive feminine toys (doing surgery on Barbie).
For gifted boys, androgynous play interests are dangerous in a homophobic society. Therefore, despite the fact that many gifted boys are indeed sensitive, nurturing, and caring, they are usually restricted to boys’ activities (Pollack). Eminent women remember girlhoods full of exploration, adventure, and voracious reading. As girls, eminent women also spent an unusually large amount of time in solitary activities (Kerr, 1997). Eminent men also spent a great deal of time alone; however, solitariness is not as strong a theme in their lives as it is in those of eminent women.