1.4 Education - Gender Differences In Achievement Flashcards
What are the patterns of gender differences in educational achievement?
Girls outperform boys
How has gender impacted educational experiences?
Major impact
Who has overtaken whom in educational achievement?
Girls have overtaken boys
End of year 1: Girls vs. boys in 7 areas?
Girls ahead by 7-17%
Key Stages 1 to 3: Gender performance?
Girls do better
Subject with widest gender gap in Key Stages 1 to 3?
English
GCSE: Gender performance difference?
About 10%
AS and A-Level: Gender performance?
Girls do better
Who is more likely to achieve distinctions in vocational subjects?
Girls
What is overshadowed by the attention given to girls outperforming boys in vocational subjects?
Underachievement of some girls
What will be covered in this topic?
Gender gap in achievement
Impact on girls’ attitude towards education
Role models and qualifications
Significant change in women’s employment
From 53% to 67%
1970 EPA significance
Equal pay for women
What is the ‘glass ceiling’?
Invisible barrier for women
What did Sharpe’s 1994 study reveal about girls’ expectations?
Shift to career prioritization
How did girls’ priorities change from the 1970s to the 1990s?
From family to career
What did Fuller (2011) find about girls’ educational success?
Part of identity
What do girls believe in according to Fuller (2011)?
Meritocracy
What do Beck and Beck-Gernsheim (2010) link to women’s career aspirations?
Trend in individualism
What do careers offer women according to Beck and Beck-Gernsheim (2010)?
Recognition and self-sufficiency
What do working class girls perceive about job availability?
Limited jobs
How do traditional gender identities affect working class girls’ education?
Limited aspirations
What has influenced the education policy regarding gender?
Feminist ideas
What do GIST and WISE encourage?
Girls in science and technology
What did the National Curriculum in 1988 remove?
Source of gender inequality
Who sees equal opportunities policies as key to girls’ achievement?
Boaler (1998)
What has been removed to improve education success?
Barriers
What type of schooling is mentioned as improved?
Meritocratic
What is the significance of the increase in female teachers and heads?
Shows women can achieve positions of importance
What does an individual need to become a teacher?
Lengthy and successful education
What does Gorard (2005) claim about the gender gap in achievement?
Sharp increase in 1989 with GCSEs introduction
What does Gorard conclude about the gender gap?
Change in assessment
What has contributed to girls doing better in education?
Increased use of oral exams
According to Elwood (2005), what has more influence on final grades?
Exams
According to Francis (2001), how are boys disciplined compared to girls?
More harshly
What was Swann’s (1998) finding about boys’ communication styles in class?
Dominate discussions
What communication style do girls prefer, according to Swann (1998)?
Pair/group work
Why might teachers respond more positively to girls, according to Swann (1998)?
Better listening/cooperate
What potential effect does positive teacher interaction have on girls?
Self-fulfilling prophecy
What effect has challenging gender stereotypes had on girls’ learning?
Removed barriers
Who claims that teachers have challenged gender stereotypes since the 1980s?
Weiner (1995)
How has marketisation affected schools’ views on girls?
More desirable recruits
What did Jackson (1998) find about high achieving girls?
Attractive to schools
What is a self-fulfilling prophecy in education according to Jackson?
Girls recruited do well
Why are boys less attractive to better schools according to Slee (1998)?
Behaviour difficulties
How much more likely are boys to be excluded compared to girls?
4x more likely
What term is used for boys in schools due to their behavior?
Liability students
What do Liberal Feminists celebrate in relation to girls’ achievement?
Progress made so far
What do Liberal Feminists believe will lead to further progress?
Equal opportunities policies
How do Liberal Feminists view education?
As meritocratic
What do Radical Feminists argue about the education system?
It’s still patriarchal
What is one issue girls face at school according to Radical Feminists?
Sexual harassment
What limits girls’ career options according to Radical Feminists?
Subject choices
In what role are male teachers more likely to be found?
Heads of secondary schools
What concept does Weiner (1993) associate with secondary school history?
Women free zone
What do Archer et al. (2010) argue about working class girls?
Conflict between identities
What do working class girls gain from peers?
Symbolic capital
What do identities contribute to in education?
Social class differences
What strategies did the girls adopt?
Hyper-heterosexual feminine identity
What is ‘othering’ according to Archer?
Symbolic violence
How is the ‘ideal female pupil’ defined?
De-sexualised and middle class
How did having a boyfriend affect working-class girls in school?
Lowered aspirations
What was one conflict faced by ‘loud’ working-class girls?
Teacher expectations
What dilemma did working-class girls face?
Symbolic or educational capital
Why do working class girls want to go to university?
To help families
What reflects the motivation of working class girls according to Skeggs (1997)?
Caring identities
What is a key feature of working class habitus according to Archer?
Local preference
What conflict arises from working class feminine identities?
Educational success
What is a major cause of underachievement?
Self exclusion
What is a major factor for boys falling behind in school?
Poor literacy and language skills
What activity do mothers spend less time doing with their sons?
Reading
How is reading perceived in relation to gender?
Feminine activity
What cultural difference affects language skills between boys and girls?
Bedroom culture
What policies aim to improve boys’ achievement?
National Literacy Strategy
What has happened to the manufacturing industry since the 1980s?
Relocated overseas for cheap labor
