Differential educational achievement: Gender (Internal factors) Flashcards
Equal opportunities: Government policies
Government policies for education that have aimed to create more opportunities for girls to take part in what have traditionally been ‘boys’ subjects
Government policy example
GIST and WISE
National curriculum - leveled the playing field as girls and boys had to study the same subjects
Government policies: Impact on achievement
Boaler- these policies are the key reason for the changes in girls achievement as they have removed many barriers faced by girls and has made education more meritocratic
Government policies: Evaluation
Liberal feminists - celebrate the progress that has been made in education and achievement for girls but believe that there is still work to be done. They see the need for continued equal opporutinity policies, more positive role models and education against sexist attitudes and stereotypes in order for true equality in education to be achieved
Role models
In the last 20 years there has been an increase in the number of females taking up head teacher and senior teacher roles which acts as role models for girls showing them that they can achieve positions of importance and power
Role models: Impact on achievement
By having traditional role models to look up to in traditional ‘male’ positions, girls are more likely to work harder to achieve these goals themselves which leads to them achieve it more educationally
GCSE and coursework
Coursework was introduced in 1988 - Gorard noted that the achievement gap was fairly consistent between 1979 -89 however once coursework was introduced, girls began to out perform boys and widen the gap (link to bedroom culture)
Coursework: Impact on achievement
Girls are more successful in coursework because they are more organised than boys which puts them at a advantage
Coursework: Evaluation
coursework is not used as much as it was in 1988 and is therefore less relevant to achievement in todays society
Teacher attention
Teachers interact differently with boys and girls.
Boys get more attention in the classroom but it is usually negative
Boys also tend to dominate in whole class discussions where as girls tend to be more democratic
teacher attention: impact on achievement
Negative interaction could explain why teachers respond more positively to girls which could lead to a SFP allowing girls to achieve and boys to underachieve
Challenging stereotypes
The removal of gender stereotypes from textbooks and reading schemes has removed a barrier to girls aspirations and achievement.
Challenging stereotypes: Impact on achievement
Significant change with teachers and textbooks challenging the traditional stereotypes which has led to greater achievement in girls as they are presented with more positive images of what they can achieve - before girls were portrayed as housewives and mothers
League tables/selection
The introduction of league tables has made girls more desirable for schools as they are likely to achieve better grades
Boys are more likely to have behavioural issues and therefore more likely to be excluded which reflects badly on schools league tables
League tables/selection: Impact on achievement
Desire for high achieving girls to a SFP
League tables create greater opportunities for girls and they are more desirable to schools - girls take on SFP and master status
