Girls are being over-praised and given higher marks at school for their good behaviour – not for their ability – according to a major study ( file picture ) Girls are being over-praised and given higher marks at school for their good behaviour – not for their ability – according to a major study . And this is making life more difficult for them when they enter the jobs market , where rewards are primarily based on what they know , says the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development . It said girls are much more likely than boys to be model pupils . Their diligence and obedience in the classroom is often ‘ rewarded ’ with higher marks , while many boys are ‘ punished ’ with poor marks for being disruptive . It may mean marks reflect good or bad attitudes to studying , but not necessarily aptitude . The OECD warned that girls who may do better in the short run at school could be ‘ penalised ’ in the labour market later on . It called on teachers to review their own ‘ gender biases ’ and consider whether marking girls up was really helping them . Andreas Schleicher , the OECD ’ s director for education and skills , said that even when girls and boys do similarly well in reading and maths tests , girls get better marks . Teenagers with a strong belief in their abilities are more likely to be successful in Britain than in any other country , the study also showed . Those youngsters who were self confident scored higher in maths and science tests , according to analysis by the OECD . And although the pattern is replicated across the world , the effect is more marked in the UK compared to any other country . Meanwhile the research also showed that even though girls outperform boys overall in schools , they are still lagging behing when it comes to maths and science . The report warned : 'What emerges from these anayses is particularly worrying . 'Even many high-achieving girls have low levels of confidnece in their ability to solve science and mathematics problems and express high levels of anxiety towards mathematics . ' ‘ Maybe in the short run , you get a better school certificate , ’ he said . ‘ In the long run , the world is going to penalise you because the labour market doesn ’ t pay you for your school marks , it pays you for what you can do. ’ Teachers consistently give better results to girls than boys , even when they perform similarly in the international Pisa tests , which are run by the OECD . The study , based on data from tests taken by 15-year-olds in maths , reading and science , looked at gender differences in education . It said : ‘ Girls ’ better marks may reflect that they tend to be “ better students ” than boys : they tend to do what is expected of them , thanks to better self-regulation skills , and they are more driven to excel in school. ’ Children who play computer games regularly do better than their peers at school , the OECD research also suggests . It found that those who played one-player games in moderation performed better in core subjects than those who never played . It said many games ‘ incorporate good learning principles ’ and ‘ hone problem-solving skills ’ . Girls who may do better in the short run at school could be ‘ penalised ’ in the labour market later on , a study has found ( file picture )
Girls are being over-praised at school for their good behaviour , study finds . But this is making life harder for them when they enter the jobs market . Rewards at work primarily based on what they know , researchers have said . OECD led the study .