Sex and Ethnic Group Differences in Mathematics Achievement: Results from the National Longitudinal Study

The mathematics test achievement of 11 914 young men and women, aged 15 to 22, who participated in the National Longitudinal Study of Youth Labor Force Behavior in 1980 was analyzed to assess sex, education, and ethnic group effects. The mathematics knowledge and arithmetic reasoning subtests of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery were the measures of achievement. A multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant main effects for sex, education, and ethnic group membership. Generally, the mathematics achievement of all groups increased the longer they were in school. White males showed the greatest benefit of continued education, and blacks as a group showed the smallest. However, significant two-way interaction effects confounded these general trends.