Examining Gender Gaps in Secondary School Science Achievement in Plateau State

Gender gaps in secondary school science achievement are a significant contributor to occupational segregation and the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields in Nigeria. This study empirically examines gender gaps in science subject achievement at the West African Senior School Certificate Examination level in Plateau State, using a mixed-method design that combines secondary data analysis with primary fieldwork. Achievement data from 12,000 student results across a five-year period (2019-2023) were analysed using hierarchical linear modelling to isolate school-level and student-level predictors of gender achievement gaps. Qualitative data were collected through interviews with 40 teachers, school principals, and students to contextualise quantitative patterns. Findings reveal that girls outperform boys in Biology and Chemistry but underperform significantly in Physics and Mathematics across all school types and locations. The gender gap in Physics is larger in government schools than private schools, suggesting that school resource and teacher quality factors moderate gender performance disparities. Teacher gender attitudes significantly predict Physics gender achievement gaps at the school level. Plateau State's ethnic diversity does not significantly moderate gender achievement patterns. Recommendations include Physics-specific gender gap remediation strategies, teacher professional development on gender-equitable science pedagogy, and mentoring programmes pairing female students with female scientists. Keywords: gender gap, science achievement, secondary school, Plateau State, STEM