Gender Differences in French Language Achievement Among Senior Secondary Students in Kwara State

Gender differentials in foreign language learning achievement have been documented across numerous international contexts, though findings are inconsistent across languages, educational levels, and cultural settings. The specific configuration of gender effects in French language achievement among Nigerian secondary school students in the North Central zone has not been thoroughly investigated. This study examines gender differences in French language achievement among Senior Secondary Two students in Kwara State, controlling for school type, socioeconomic background, and teacher gender. A causal-comparative design was employed, with French language achievement data drawn from school examination records for 680 students across twenty-four secondary schools in Ilorin, Offa, and Kaiama senatorial districts. Supplementary questionnaire data addressed learner attitudes, parental support, and out-of-school French exposure. Results show no statistically significant overall gender difference in mean French achievement scores, contrary to common assumptions about female advantage in language learning. However, disaggregated analysis revealed female advantage in writing tasks while male students performed marginally better in reading comprehension. Socioeconomic background, school type, and teacher qualification were stronger predictors of achievement than gender. The study challenges gendered narratives about language learning in Nigerian education discourse and recommends that policy interventions focus on structural factors such as school resources and teacher training rather than gender-differentiated programming. Keywords: gender differences, French achievement, senior secondary school, Kwara State, language learning