2.2 differential educational attainment - gender

Question 1

By how much more do girls outperform boys in the 2023 GCSEs?

Answer 1

girls were handed more than 166,000 top grades than boys in their GCSEs

Question 2

What are some reasons why girls traditionally underachieved?

Answer 2

• lack of female teachers
• lack of equality
• not encouraged to exceed
• curriculum was segregated, girls were steered to childcare but boys did woodwork
• fewer expectations to succeed by teachers and parents

Question 3

What are some reasons why girls are achieving so well now?

Answer 3

• feminism
• improving role models
• higher expectations of teachers, parents and girls
• changing socialisation procedures
• higher motivation

Question 4

How did the Tripartite system disadvantage girls?

Answer 4

• girls had to achieve higher marks for the 11+ exam to get to a grammar school due to lack of places

Question 5

What did Edwards and David (2000) argue about gender role socialisation?

Answer 5

• gender-differentiated primary socialisation gives girls an initial advantage in both primary and secondary schools BUT still tends to cease
• parents allowed boys to be noisier and more attention seeking than girls

Question 6

What did Burns and Bracey (2001) argue about gender role socialisation?

Answer 6

• girls at secondary schools generally work harder than boys and are more motivated to
• girls put in more effort with their work, are better organised, meet deadlines etc
• by age 6 girls read more than boys and this continues throughout their life

Question 7

What did Hannnan (2000) argue about peer groups?

Answer 7

• boys and girls spend their leisure time differently
• girls tend to spend time talking, which puts them at an advantage

Question 8

What did Frosh et al argue about peer groups?

Answer 8

• boys’ behaviour is often shaped by their peer groups organised around ‘macho’ values
• boys see school as ‘unmanly’

Question 9

What does Kirby (2000) argue about peer groups?

Answer 9

• boys who do well at school are helped at home, away from the view of their peer group

Question 10

What did Kirby and Thompson (1999) find?

Answer 10

• boys can be overconfident, girls are more self-doubting and therefore work harder
• boys interrupt more frequently even when they don’t know the answer

Question 11

What internal factors affect educational attainment?

Answer 11

• pedagogy
• the curriculum and assessment
• subject choices
• educational policies

Question 12

What does Epstein (1998) argue about the pedagogy?

Answer 12

• schools fail to cater for the needs of boys
• the exam system and female concerns and interests fails to appreciate and understand masculinity

Question 13

What did Swann and Graddol (1994) argue about the pedagogy?

Answer 13

• teachers tend to see boys as unruly and disruptive and are more likely to spend time telling them off than helping them with schoolwork
• they are also more likely to be excluded

Question 14

What did John Abraham (1986) find?

Answer 14

• asked teachers to describe a typical boy and a typically girl
• the boy was described as not particularly bright, likes a laugh and always attention seeking
• the girl was described as bright, well-behaved and hard-working

Question 15

What did Sukhananda et al (2000) find?

Answer 15

• boys generally feel they receive less support, encouragement and guidance from teachers
• boys see school as an alien environment

Question 16

What did Myhill (2000) find?

Answer 16

• girls’ success may be down to their being passive and compliant learners
• BUT this behaviour doesn’t prepare them for roles such as company executive, politicians and lawyers

Question 17

What did Pirie (2001) find about curriculum and assessment?

Answer 17

• the pre-1988 O-level was geared towards the high risk approach of boys
• girls seem to be better at sustaining motivation
• the recent changes to exam only could see a swing back in the other direction, favouring boys not girls

Question 18

What did Diane Reay et al (2003) find out about anti-school subcultures?

Answer 18

• boys felt they had less control over their educational learning and so seek power through other negative strategies

Question 19

What kind of organisations were introduced to help girls in education?

Answer 19

• GIST = girls into science and tech (1980s)
• WISE = women into science and engineering (still going on today)

Question 20

How does social class and gender interact with attainment?

Answer 20

• in 2013, only 40% of girls from a lower social economic background achieved 5 A*-C compared to 67% of girls who were not on FSM
• Louise Archer = conflict between feminine identities and the values and ethos of a school - girls ‘perform’ WC’ female identities, a hyper-heterosexual feminine identity

Question 21

What do liberal feminists argue about differential educational attainment?

Answer 21

• further progress can be made by continuing the development of equal opportunities, encouraging positive role models and overcoming sexist attitudes and stereotypes

Question 22

What do radical feminists argue about differential educational attainment?

Answer 22

• emphasise that the system remains patriarchal and conveys a clear message that it is still a mans world
  i.e. sexual harassment in schools

Question 23

What are some policies surrounding boys and literacy/

Answer 23

• The Raising Boys Achievement Project
• The National Literacy Strategy
• The Reading Champions
• Playing for success

Question 24

How has globalisation affected education for boys?

Answer 24

• been a significant decline in heavy industries such as iron, steel, ship building
• Mistos and Brown argue this has led to an identity crisis for WC men

Question 25

What percentage of primary school teachers are male?

Answer 25

only 14%

Question 26

What percentage of boys said that male teachers make them work harder?

Answer 26

42%