Parental input as a mediating pathway for gender differences in early academic skills

Abstract

The persistent gendered pattern in academic achievement, whereby girls outperform boys in language while boys excel in mathematics, is evident as early as primary school. The literature highlights parental input as a key predictor of child development, yet less is known about its role in the context of gender differences in early academic skills. The present study investigated variability in parental input as a function of child gender. Using longitudinal academic scores from a large sample of Russian first-graders (N = 1240, 49.5 % female), as well as their parents' reports on math and language home activities, this study examined parental input as a potential mediator of gender differences in children's language and math skills. Results confirmed the gendered pattern in children's academic skills and revealed that parents were more frequently involved in literacy activities with girls, while the opposite trend was observed for math activities with boys. Additionally, changes in gender differences in children's language and math skills over the period of the study were mediated by language and math parental input, respectively. The discussion explores the implications of these findings for understanding the nature of gender differences and considers potential approaches to addressing these disparities.