Comparative Analysis of Science Achievement of Male and Female Students in Senior Secondary Schools in Plateau State

This study conducted a comparative analysis of the science achievement of male and female students in senior secondary schools in Plateau State, Nigeria. Despite notable progress in girl-child education campaigns nationally, gender disparities in science subject performance persist in many Nigerian states, necessitating contextual studies to guide targeted interventions. The study used an ex-post facto research design, relying on the 2020 to 2023 West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination results of students from 60 public secondary schools across Jos North, Jos South, and Mangu Local Government Areas. A total of 1,200 student results were systematically sampled and analysed. Descriptive statistics and independent samples t-test were employed in data analysis. Findings indicated no statistically significant difference in overall science achievement between male and female students; however, sub-group analysis revealed that males slightly outperformed females in Physics while females recorded marginally higher scores in Biology. Socioeconomic background and school type were found to be stronger predictors of achievement than gender. The study recommended sustained gender-responsive science pedagogy, mentoring programmes for female students in physical sciences, and elimination of gender-biased instructional language. Keywords: gender, science achievement, secondary schools, Plateau State, comparative study.