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Gender Differences in Education- Internal - Coggle Diagram
Gender Differences in Education- Internal
Equal opportunities policies
Feminist ideas have impacted the education system:
policymakers more aware of gender issues
teachers aware of need to avoid stereotyping.
belief that boys and girls are entitled to the same opportunities is now part of mainstream thinking and it influences educational policies.
Policies such as
GIST
and
WISE
encourage girls to pursue careers in non-traditional areas such as science, technology and engineering.
Female scientists have visited schools to act as role models.
Efforts made to raise teachers' awareness of gender issues and provide non-sexist careers advice.
National Curriculum (1988)
: removed one source of gender inequality by making girls and boys study mostly the same subjects- previously heavily gendered.
Jo Boaler (1988):
impact of equal opportunities policies are a key reason for changes in girls' achievement as many of the barriers have been removed and schooling has become more meritocratic so that girls who generally work harder than boys achiever more.
Positive Role Models in Schools
Increase in the proportion of female teachers and headteachers. These women in senior positions can act as role models for girls: women can achieve positions of importance, provide non-traditional goals to aim for. Especially since, to become a teacher, the individual must undertake a lengthy and successful education.
GCSE and Coursework
Gorard (2005):
Gender gap in achievement due to "changed system of assessment rather than any more general failing of boys". The gap was fairly constant from 1975 until 1989 when it increased sharply, the same year the GCSE was introduced and brought with it coursework as a major part of nearly all subjects.
The greater use of oral exams has also benefited girls more because of their generally better developed language skills. These skills and characteristics are due to the early gender role socialisation in the family (e.g. bedroom culture, being told to be more tidy/patient) and advantage girls in education.
Some sociologists argue changes in the way pupils are assessed have favoured girls and disadvantaged boys
Mitsos and Browne (1998):
girls are more successful in coursework as they are more conscientious and better organised than boys.
Girls spend more time on their work
take more care with presentation
better at meeting deadlines
= have benefitted from coursework in GCSE, AS and A-level
Evaluation: Eldwood (2005):
while coursework has some influence, it is unlikely to be the only cause of the gender gap- exams have much more influence.
Teacher Attention
This may explain why teachers respond more positively to girls (see as more cooperative) than to boys (see as disruptive). This may lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy: successful interactions with teachers promote girls' self-esteem and raise achievement.
Swann (1998)
: there are gender differences in communication styles:
Boys dominate whole-class discussion whereas girls prefer pair-work and group-work and are better at listening and cooperating.
When working in groups, girls speech involves turn taking, rather than hostile interruptions found in boys' speech.
Jane and Peter French (1993):
analysed classroom interaction, found that boys received more attention because they attracted more reprimands.
Francis (2001):
while boys get more attention, they were disciplined more harshly and felt picked on by teachers who had lower expectations of them
Challenging Stereotypes in the Curriculum
Research in the 1970s and 80s found that reading schemes portrayed women mainly as housewives and mothers, physics books showed them as frightened by science and maths books depicted boys as more inventive.
Weiner (1995)
: since 1980s teachers have challenged such stereotypes. Sexist images have generally been removed from learning materials which can provide girls with a more positive image of what they can achieve, raising their achievement.
The removal of gender stereotypes from textbooks and learning materials has removed a barrier to girls' achievement.
Selection and League Tables
Marketisation policies have created a more competitive climate in which schools see girls as desirable recruits because they achieve better exam results
Jackson (1998):
introduction of exam league tables has improved opportunities for girls. High-achieving girls are attractive to schools whereas low achieving boys aren't. This creates a self-fulfilling prophecy- since girls are more likely to be recruited by good schools, they are more likely to do well.
Slee (1998):
boys are less attractive to schools because they are more likely to suffer from behavioural difficulties and are 4x more likely to be excluded. They may be seen as "liability students" (prevent improving league table scores) They also give schools a "rough, tough" image that deters high-achieving girls from applying.