Differences in educational achievement (gender)

Question 1

What has inspired greater emphasis on equal opportunities in schools since the 1980s?

Answer 1

Research showed systematic discrimination against females due to presentation of materials & teacher attitudes

Question 2

Studies on boys achievement out of school vs girls in school

Answer 2

Rothermel:
- boys did as well as, if not better, homeschooled than girls in school

Haralambos & Holborn (2013):
- “girls do better than boys” more applicable to working class boys, less so in middle class

Question 3

How can it be argued that school has become “feminised”?

Answer 3

• whats expected by teachers in terms of tidiness and neatness

Sukhanda (2000):
- boys feel less supported in school due to a higher expectation of girls, therefore feeling alienated

Abraham (1995):
- teachers not as critical of boys, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy

Question 4

How can it be argued school has not become “feminised”?

Answer 4

Coffee (2000):
- schools have always been patriarchal & leadership teams mainly male

Question 5

How can it be argued curriculum and assessment plays a role in how well different genders achieve?

Answer 5

• when coursework involved in final grade, girls tend to do better due to better organisation & research skills

Machin (2006):
- change to GCSEs coincided with greater achievement for girls

Hurst (2014):
- Since 2010 boys have begun to overtake girls in subjects without coursework (maths)

Question 6

What has the research shown regarding gender and subject choice?

Answer 6

Skelton (2014):
- stereotypical choices post-14

Collins (1998):
- these trends mean girls end up in lower paying jobs

Question 7

What has the pattern of girls’ achievement been since WW2?

Answer 7

• Girls have out-performed boys and gradually barriers to their success have been removed.

Question 8

What has Edwards and David (2000) concluded about the socialisation of boys in the home and links to education?

Answer 8

Boys allowed to be noisier and more boisterous at home than girls

Question 9

What has Edwards and David (2000) concluded about the socialisation of girls in the home and links to education?

Answer 9

• Gender-differentiated primary socialisation can give girls an advantage due to how the education system works.
• Girls are taught more to conform through their behaviour standards.

Question 10

What is the influence of gender “peer groups” on success in education?

Answer 10

Edward & Davis (2000):
- boys behaviour shaped more by peers. seeking masculine validation

Hannan (2000):
- girls relate more to each other based on what they perceive at home and school and are more likely to talk about it

Question 11

What is meant by a crisis of masculinity?

Answer 11

Mac & Ghali (1994):
- development of more individualistic society and a change from post-industrial culture has led to men lacking self-esteem

Peterson (2018):
- men have to shape a role for themselves and its increasingly harder to do so