Abstract
Despite significant progress in recent years, there is still evidence of gender differences and underrepresentation of women in leadership positions in mathematics. To promote equal opportunities for all students, it is essential to comprehend gender differences in math learning at school and identify potential barriers to educational equality. In this regard, our study examined the gender differences in solving word problems, and whether they relate to the solution strategy the students were taught. The study involved 100 10th-grade students divided into two groups and taught different solving approaches. One group was taught an algebraic approach using linear equations, while the other group was taught a combined approach, which incorporates the algebraic solution with a functional-graphic solution using a graph of a linear function. The research findings reveal gender differences in various aspects: Girls who learned the algebraic approach had better attainments than boys; Boys who learned the combined approach opted to solve problems with functions and graphs, whereas girls in the same group preferred an algebraic solution; Boys who learned the combined approach achieved significantly higher than boys who learned the algebraic approach. This study illuminates the importance of teaching word problems using diverse solution strategies because different populations of students respond differently to different strategies.