Although academics are divided on whether boys learn differently from girls, general observation of both sexes in the classroom suggests that females are quicker off the mark.

Hyacinth Evans, professor of teacher education at the University of the West Indies' Institute of Education, said because of an absence in the requisite neurological information, she was unable to say whether the learning process in boys is different to that of girls.

"What we can do is observe how boys and girls engage in different kinds of learning experiences, and the interest boys and girls show in these activities. We do know that boys like more action-oriented activities, and they prefer when there is more movement," she said.

A study done by the professor in 1999 revealed that "when the teaching method required students to take notes or to copy from the chalkboard, the boys were more likely to become disengaged".

Currently, the lecture method is the teaching style of choice for most in the profession. "Because girls tend to pay more attention and to be more focused on academic work, they tend to learn more. Research shows that they develop literacy skills at an earlier age than boys ... It is simply that girls are more able to tolerate the lecture method and the writing on the chalkboard approach than boys."

Professor Evans explained that socialisation has impacted on the learning process in both sexes. "(Girls) have learned a sense of process, of being organised to carry out tasks. All this makes them more prepared to be students at school," she said.

- T.R.