El desempeño de chicos y chicas asiáticos en la ADvanced Placement (AP) examen las cuentas generales a través de Estados Unidos fueron analizadas durante los últimos 14 años. Para cada uno de los 14 años de datos chicos que analizados y asiáticos tuvieron porcentajes más altos estadísticamente significativos de cuentas generales de examen de AP de 5 que hizo a chicas asiáticas. Además, el vacío entre el desempeño malo de chicos y chicas asiáticos no cambió sobre este período de tiempo de 14 años. Las implicaciones de nuestras conclusiones son presentadas y las recomendaciones para futura investigación son hechas.

Gender differences in overall achievement and on Advanced Placement examination performance have been well documented in the extant literature (e.g., American Association of University Women [AAUW], 1998, 2004; Benbow, 1988, Buck, Kostin, & Morgan, 2002; Moore, Combs, & Slate, 2010; Olszewski-Kubilius, & Turner, 2002; Spelke, 2005). Moreover, a body of literature related to Asian students and their overall achievement and AP performance exists (cf., Brandon, 1991; Nguyen, 2002; Thernstrom & Thernstrom, 2003, Moore, Joyner, Martinez-Garcia, & Slate, 2010; Moore & Slate, 2008; Moore, Slate, & Martinez-Garcia, 2009, 2010). We were not able to locate any AP literature in which gender differences between Asian boys and Asian girls were analyzed.

Understanding the differences that exist (e.g., racial, economic disadvantage, gender) helps educators and policy makers to meet the needs of all students. Recognizing that differences exist between boys and girls of Asian descent is often not a top priority with educators and policy makers. Students benefit through the rigor of the AP courses, and they benefit by receiving advanced college credit for entry-level courses based on acceptable scores on the AP exams. In this article, we report the results of 14 years of AP data analyses and make recommendations for future research and for school leaders, teachers, and counselors.

The AAUW (1998, 2004) posited that the gender gap in science and mathematics exists, although it has decreased over the past two decades. Girls are not enrolling in the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses at the same rate as boys in high school and college. The AAUW (2004) described the existence of several projects designed to attract more girls to the STEM courses. College Board (2010, 2011) reported more boys than girls took STEM-related courses (i.e., chemistry, physics, calculus, and computer science). Spelke (2005), however, argued that the gap between boys and girls taking advanced mathematics classes has closed.

Breland, Danos, Kahn, Kubota, and Bonner (1994) analyzed girls’ and boys’ performance on AP History exams and reported boys tend to score at a higher level on multiple-choice exam questions, however, no statistically significant differences were present between boys and girls on open-ended questions. Beller and Gafni (2001) documented similar trends in the 1988 International Assessment of Educational Progress (IAEP) in mathematics. Gender differences were noticeably greater on the multiple-choice items than on the open-ended questions. However, for the 1991 IAEP, a greater gender difference existed in favor of the boys on the open-ended questions. Beller and Gafni (2001) asserted that the “inconsistent results challenge the simplistic assertion that girls perform relatively better on OE test items; they suggest that item format alone cannot account for gender differences in mathematic performance…” (p. 16).

Moore and Slate (2010) analyzed AP performance data comparing American Indian students with White students. They identified statistically significant differences between White students’ and American Indian students’ participation and performance in AP courses and exams. Moore and Slate further asserted that American Indian females did not perform at the same level as American Indian males on the overall AP examination results. However, on the Biology, Psychology, and English Language & Composition exams, no statistically significant differences existed between American Indian females and American Indian males.

Moore, Combs, and Slate (2010) investigated gender differences related to participation and performance in AP courses in the United States for the May 2007 administration. They did not analyze the data as function of gender and ethnicity. In their study, Moore, Combs, and Slate (2010) identified statistically significantly higher levels of performance for girls in only 2 out of 12 exams analyzed even though girls were enrolled in greater numbers in 10 of the 12 most frequently taken AP courses.

In The7th Annual Report to the Nation, the College Board (2011) reported more girls than boys in Hispanic/Latino, African American/Black, and American Indian populations participated in the AP programs. However, no report of differences in AP exam performance was present for Asian boys and girls or for White boys and girls.

Researchers (Moore et al., 2011; Moore, Slate, & Martinez-Garcia, 2009, 2010) have analyzed AP participation and performance of Asian students. Moore et al. (2011) examined the differences in achievement between Asian students residing in Canada and Asian students residing in the U.S. They documented that Canadian Asian AP students outperformed Asian students living in the U.S. on 11 of 13 exams. Similar results existed on the Calculus BC and the Statistics exam between Canadian Asian students and Asian students in the U.S. Moore et al. (2011) did not analyze gender data for Canadian and U.S. Asian students.

Moore, Martinez-Garcia, and Slate (2010) analyzed the performance of Asian students compared to White students over a 12-year period from 1997 to 2008. Overall AP exam performance was compared for each year, and for each of the 12 years, Asian students posted higher scores than White students. For each of the 12 years, slightly more than one-third of the Asian students and more than one-third of White students did not achieve the minimum score required by most universities for advanced credit.

In a 2-year Texas study, Moore and Slate (2008) described the percentages of students taking AP exams and the percentage of students meeting the minimum score of 3 required for advanced college credit. For school years 2004-2005 and 2005-2006, a higher percentage of girls enrolled in advanced classes. However, for both school years a higher percentage of boys met the minimum score of 3. Moore and Slate (2008) did not examine AP participation and performance as a function of gender or ethnicity.

Students who take AP exams and score a 3, 4, or 5 may receive advanced credit or placement depending on the university they attend. Some universities will only award advanced credit for exam scores of 4 or 5, and then some universities will accept a 3 in some courses but only 4 or 5 in the majority of courses. Regardless of the university policy, students and their families may benefit in the admissions process when AP course credits appear on the transcripts (Geiser & Santelices, 2004; Santoli, 2002), and they may benefit financially by meeting the minimum standard AP exam scores required for advanced credit in beginning college courses.

When reporting AP examination scores, the College Board combines Asian and Pacific Islander students in the results. Disaggregated data from the two groups revealed that Pacific Islander students tend to score below Asian students (Thernstrom & Thernstrom, 2008). For school administrators and teachers to serve all students’ needs, they should investigate the differences between boys and girls of various populations. Asian boys and girls successes rarely appear in the AP literature, and even though scholars (e.g., Brydolf, 2009; Cherian & Bodenhausen, 2000; Empelo, 2006; Kim & Yeh, 2002; Lee, 1996; Wing, 2007) have refuted the stereotypes often associated with Asian students, a number of students may go unnoticed who present various learning issues. Gaining a better understanding of the successes of Asian students may help school leaders, curriculum specialists, and teachers to create policies and processes that benefit all Asian students.

Our purpose in conducting this study was to analyze the overall performance of Asian boys and Asian girls on overall Advanced Placement exam performance for the past 14 years. We wanted to determine the extent to which the average AP exam scores differed for this ethnic group by gender. Moreover, we wanted to ascertain the extent to which any trend was present over time in the overall AP exam performance of Asian boys compared to the overall AP exam performance of Asian girls.

In this study, the following research questions were addressed: (a) What is the difference between Asian boys and Asian girls on their overall performance on Advanced Placement exams for the 2010 test administration?; (b) This same research question was repeated for each of the remaining 13 test administrations; and (c) What trend is present in the overall AP exam performance of Asian boys compared to the overall AP exam performance of Asian girls?

To determine the extent to which differences were present between Asian boys and Asian girls on Advanced Placement exam performance, Pearson chi-square procedures were performed. Because frequency data were present for each ethnic group’s performance on their overall Advanced Placement exam score (i.e., 5, 4, 3, 2, 1), a Pearson chi-square procedure is viewed as the appropriate procedure to utilize when one variable is categorical (i.e., gender) and the other variable involves a frequency count (i.e., number of students who obtained a score of 5, a 4, a 3, a 2, or a 1). For the first research question in which the focus was placed on overall AP exam scores between Asian boys and girls for the 2010 test administration, the result was statistically significant, χ²(4, N = 431136) = 2509.25, p < .001, Cramer’s V = .08. The effect size for this statistically significant result was small (Cohen, 1988). In Table 1, 24.91% of Asian boys had the highest exam scores, a 5, compared with 19.47% of Asian girls. Regarding exam scores that are not accepted typically by universities, 36.60% of Asian girls had scores in these categories, compared to 31.27% of Asian boys.

For the second research question in which the focus was placed on overall AP exam scores between Asian boys and girls for the 2009 test administration, the result was statistically significant, χ²(4, N = 396202) = 2518.69, p < .001, Cramer’s V = .08. The effect size for this statistically significant result was small (Cohen, 1988). For the 2008 AP test administration, the result was statistically significant, χ²(4, N = 364391) = 2074.13, p < .001, Cramer’s V = .08. The effect size for this statistically significant result was small (Cohen, 1988). For these two years of data, percentages of Asian boys and girls who obtained scores of 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 were commensurate with the percentages reported for the 2010 test administration. Readers are directed to Tables 2 and 3 for the AP exam percentages for 2009 and 2008.

Concerning the 2007 AP test administration, the result was again statistically significant, χ²(4, N = 333794) = 1546.13, p < .001, Cramer’s V = .07. The effect size for this statistically significant result was small (Cohen, 1988).For the 2006 AP test administration, the result was again statistically significant, χ²(4, N = 299871) = 1659.06, p < .001, Cramer’s V = .07. The effect size for this statistically significant result was again small (Cohen, 1988). For these two years of data, percentages of Asian boys and girls who obtained scores of 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 were commensurate with the percentages reported for the previous three years. Readers are directed to Tables 4 and 5 for the AP exam percentages for 2007 and 2006.

Regarding the 2005 AP test administration, the result was again statistically significant, χ²(4, N = 276202) = 1685.83, p < .001, Cramer’s V = .08. The effect size for this statistically significant result was again small (Cohen, 1988). Regarding the 2004 AP test administration, the result was again statistically significant, χ²(4, N = 244296) = 1359.13, p < .001, Cramer’s V = .07. The effect size for this statistically significant result was again small (Cohen, 1988). For these two years of data, percentages of Asian boys and girls who obtained scores of 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 were commensurate with the percentages reported for the previous five years. Readers are directed to Tables 6 and 7 for the AP exam percentages for 2005 and 2004.

For the 2003 AP test administration, the result was again statistically significant, χ²(4, N = 225314) = 1584.23, p < .001, Cramer’s V = .08. The effect size for this statistically significant result was small (Cohen, 1988). Regarding the 2002 AP test administration, the result was again statistically significant, χ²(4, N = 205974) = 1224.72, p < .001, Cramer’s V = .08. The effect size for this statistically significant result was again small (Cohen, 1988). For these two years of data, percentages of Asian boys and girls who obtained scores of 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 were commensurate with the percentages reported for the previous seven years. Readers are directed to Tables 8 and 9 for the AP exam percentages for 2003 and 2002.

Concerning the 2001 AP test administration, the result was again statistically significant, χ²(4, N = 184337) = 1355.43, p < .001, Cramer’s V = .09. The effect size for this statistically significant result was small (Cohen, 1988). For the 2000 AP test administration, the result was again statistically significant, χ²(4, N = 167490) = 783.61, p < .001, Cramer’s V = .07. The effect size for this statistically significant result was small (Cohen, 1988). For these two years of data, percentages of Asian boys and girls who obtained scores of 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 were commensurate with the percentages reported for the previous nine years. Readers are directed to Tables 10 and 11 for the AP exam percentages for 2001 and 2000.

Regarding the 1999 AP test administration, the result was statistically significant, χ²(4, N = 145654) = 843.95, p < .001. The effect size for this finding was .08 (Cramer’s V), small (Cohen, 1988). Concerning the 1998 AP test administration, the result was statistically significant, χ²(4, N = 127633) = 644.64, p < .001. The effect size for this finding was .07 (Cramer’s V), small (Cohen, 1988). With respect to the 1997 AP test administration, the result was statistically significant, χ²(4, N = 117650) = 415.64, p < .001. The effect size for this finding was .06 (Cramer’s V), small (Cohen, 1988).For these three years of data, percentages of Asian boys and girls who obtained scores of 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 were commensurate with the percentages reported for the previous 11. Readers are directed to Tables 12, 13, and 14 for the AP exam percentages for 1999, 1998, and 1997.

An examination of the numbers of Asian American students who completed AP exams shows 209,101 Asian boys who completed AP exams in 2010, compared with 222,035 Asian girls who completed AP exams in 2010. These numbers are higher than the number of Asian boys who completed AP exams in 1997 (n = 58,183) and the number of Asian girls who completed AP exams in 1997 (n = 59,467). The difference of the number of Asian boys and Asian girls who completed AP exams across this 14-year time period reflects an increase of over 300%.

Another statistic of importance is the average AP exam score. In 1997, Asian boys had an average AP exam score of 3.17, compared an average AP exam score of 3.04 for Asian girls. In the most recent year, 2010, Asian boys’ average AP exam score was 3.25, compared to an average AP exam score of 3.05 for Asian girls. Across all 14 years, the mean for Asian boys remained above 3.00 whereas the mean for Asian girls dropped below 3.00 for 9 of the 14 years. Table 15 depicts the average AP exam scores for Asian boys and girls from 1997 through 2010. Figure 1 shows a visual depiction of these averages.

Figure 1. Average Advanced Placement Exam Score for Asian Boys and Girls From 1997 Through 2010

Lee (2006) and Mickleson (2003) suggested that gender in Asian American students was an important factor to examine. Therefore, in this study, we analyzed the AP exam score performance of Asian boys and of Asian girls for the past 14 years, 1997 through 2010, test administrations. The overall AP exam scores obtained by Asian boys, as compared to Asian girls’ scores, were statistically significantly higher in all instances. The average AP exam score difference between Asian boys and Asian girls increased from the 1997 to the 2010 exam administrations.

Our purpose was to analyze AP exam data to determine if differences existed, but we did not attempt to determine why differences exist. Therefore, a few questions arise for further research: (a) What is the difference in self-efficacy for AP success between Asian boys and Asian girls?; (b) How do AP teachers perceive gender differences between Asian boys and girls?; (c) What cultural influences might play a part in these results?; (d) What familial influences might play a part in these results?; (e) What guidance processes are available for students entering AP classes?; and (f) What rigorous curriculum exists for students prior to the AP experience?

Brydolf (2009) and Lee (2006) posited that differences exist within the ethnic grouping of Asian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander. Within each are many different groupings, with different cultural patterns existing among these various groups. As reported by Thernstrom and Thernstrom (2008), Pacific Islander students tend to score below Asian students. Educators will serve their Asian students better if they know more about the various cultures in which these students live. As students come from many cultures, school officials must be aware of any preconceived ideas about all Asian and Pacific Islander students being the same or having the same backgrounds. Furthermore, we suggest caution for all school personnel regarding the stereotypes and The Model Minority myth (Brydolf, 2009; Cherian & Bodenhausen, 2000; Empelo, 2006; Kim & Yeh, 2002; Lee, 1996; Wing, 2007; Zhao & Qui, 2009).

Over the 14 years of AP exam scores examined in this study, many Asian American boys and girls did not receive the scores required for advanced credit at numerous universities across the United States. However, girls were less likely to receive the scores—3, 4, or 5—required at most universities, and they were also less likely to score a 4 or a 5 as required at some the most prestigious schools in the U.S. Moore, Combs, and Slate (2010) and Moore, Slate and Martinez-Garcia (2010) reported similar results across various AP exams.

Educators should study the prerequisite skills and knowledge for all AP courses offered in their systems to determine the degree of alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Teachers should identify Asian American girls’ learning needs so improved learning experiences enhance these students’ performance on AP exams. Furthermore, educators should view the scope and sequence of the entire school curriculum to ensure students have access to a rigorous curriculum prior to their enrollment in AP classes (Moore & Slate, 2008).

Readers should be cautious in the extent to which they make generalizations from our findings. The extent to which our findings hold true across multiple years is unknown. Second, students who take AP courses and who complete AP exams are self-selected. Thus, the extent to which students who take AP exams are representative of Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander students, in this case, is unknown. Therefore, until our findings are replicated by other researchers, caution is warranted.