Chapter 11: Mathematics Achievement in Icelandic Playschools: Examining When Gender Differences Emerge

In Iceland, 10th-grade girls have been scoring higher on the Icelandic National Mathematics Testing Program over the last 10 years (Olafsson, Halldorsson, Skulason, & Bjornsson, 2007). Icelandic girls also scored significantly higher than boys in mathematics in the Programme for International Assessment (PISA) 2003 (OECD, 2003; Steinthorsdottir & Sriraman, 2008). The unique achievement in mathematics for girls in Iceland raises, among others, the question of when gender differences in mathematics achievement emerge. The study presented in this chapter examines girls’ and boys’ strategy use and achievement when solving problems centered on numeracy in one Icelandic playschool.

If translated from Icelandic to English, the name of the schools that serve young children, ages 18 months to 5 years, is playschool. It is noteworthy that in Iceland, 5-year-old children are typically in playschool while in many other countries, children of this age have already entered elementary or primary school. Playschools are public, and more than 90% of 3- to 5-year- old children are enrolled in playschools. A certified playschool teacher has to hold a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from an accredited higher education institute. Playschool teachers are licensed to teach children from birth to first grade. The Icelandic national curriculum sets goals for playschools that emphasize creating learning environments that facilitate children’s general development, health, and well-being through physical activities, literacy, art, nature, environment, and culture. Despite the emphasis on cognitive development in the national curriculum and research suggesting that young children are capable of and could benefit from activities that stress number skills and mathematical concepts, the term “mathematics” does not appear in the Icelandic national standards for playschools.