But when the element of collaboration is added to the problem solving, girls outperformed boys in in every country. In the UK this gender gap is one of the largest.

These results are mirrored in students’ attitudes.

Girls show more positive attitudes towards relationships, meaning that they tend to be more interested in others’ opinions and want others to succeed.

Boys, on the other hand, are more likely to see the benefits of teamwork and how collaboration can help them work more effectively and efficiently.

Disadvantaged students are more likely to see the value of teamwork than their advantaged peers.

They tend to report that they prefer working as part of a team to working alone, and that they think teams make better decisions than individuals.

Schools with more diversity in their student intake are also more likely to be associated with better collaborative skills, at least relative to performance in the academic disciplines.

Read the full article on the BBC.