Gender Differences in Arabic Language Performance Among Secondary School Students in Yobe State

The relationship between gender and academic performance in Arabic language remains an under-investigated area in the Nigerian educational research literature, particularly in states such as Yobe where significant gender disparities in secondary school enrolment persist. This study investigates gender differences in Arabic language performance among senior secondary school students in Yobe State, examining whether male or female students perform significantly differently across listening, reading, writing, and grammar tasks. Using a quantitative comparative research design, the study administers a standardised four-skill Arabic language test to 350 students, 175 male and 175 female, drawn from twelve senior secondary schools in Damaturu, Potiskum, and Gashua through stratified random sampling. Analysis of variance and independent samples t-tests are employed to assess performance differences by gender and by skill area. Classroom observation and teacher interview data provide additional contextual explanation for observed patterns. Findings reveal that female students outperform male counterparts on writing and reading tasks, while male students demonstrate slight advantages on oral production tasks, a pattern consistent with international findings in gender and foreign language performance research. Socio-contextual factors including girls' longer average time in school daily and higher levels of Quranic schooling attendance among boys are explored as explanatory variables. Keywords: Gender differences, Arabic language performance, secondary students, Yobe State, language assessment.