DJ's Gender gap in achievement Flashcards
Give statistical examples of how boys have achieved higher than boys in:
A) Starting school
B) GCSE level
A) teacher assessments of pupils at the end of year 1 usually shows girls ahead of boys, by between 7-17% points in all seven areas of assessed learning
B) In 2022, 30.7% of entries for girls were awarded the top 3 grades 7-9 compared to 23.3% for boys - a gender gap of 7.4%.
GIRLS AND ACHIEVEMENT:
EXTERNAL FACTORS
Explain the reason girls achieve higher - The impact of feminism.
Due to the rise in second and third-way feminism, there have been legal changes, and the equality of opportunities for women has been promoted. As a result, girl’s self identities have been changed, creating a more ambitious mindset for many young women. As there are more jobs prospects for women today, girls no longer only see their future in the stereotypical traditional way as a wife/mother, ( a role which required no educational investment). Research by Fuller (2011) found that girls increasingly had an individualised notion of self and aimed for a professional career that would enable them to support themselves. Therefore, young women now see a future career as possible, but educationally orientated, so they therefore work hard to achieve highly and gain qualifications in school.
GIRLS AND ACHIEVEMENT:
EXTERNAL FACTORS
Explain the reason girls achieve higher - Changes in employment
As a consequence of changes in legislation, (such as the equal pay act of 1970 and the sex discrimination act of 1975) and changes in societal attitudes, females see their future in terms of paid work rather than the stereotypical role of a wife/mother. Research by Francis (2001) found that the majority of girls have rejected the traditional role and understand the importance of education. This reflects the rise in greater and more equal career opportunities for women in society. Women’s self identities have changed and this has created an aspirational mindset for many which encourages them to strive for educational achievement and qualifications, as this will allow them to obtain promising careers.
GIRLS AND ACHIEVEMENT:
EXTERNAL FACTORS
Explain the reason girls achieve higher - Changes in the family.
An increase in divorce, cohabitation, single-person families, smaller families and a decreased in marriages have impacted on girl’s attitudes towards education. The increase of diverse family patterns has made women realise that they no longer need to be financially reliant upon men, but can take on the breadwinner role themselves within their family structure. This has encouraged women to look to themselves and their own qualifications to be self-sufficient, meaning many young women strive to achieve highly in education in order to succeed in future careers.
GIRLS AND ACHIEVEMENT:
INTERNAL FACTORS
Explain the reasons girls achieve higher - Equal opportunities policies.
-Many sociologists argue that feminist ideas have had a major impact on the education system. Those who run the education system are now much more aware of gender issues, and the belief that boys and girls are both equally capable and entitled o the same opportunities is now part of mainstream thinking in education. This has influenced policies made. For example, GIST (Girls into science and technology) and WISE (Women into science and engineering) are policies which have encouraged girls to pursue careers in non-traditional areas. Furthermore, the introduction of the national curriculum made girls and boys study mostly the same subjects, which was often not the case previously. Therefore these policies have facilitated girl’s achievement by creating an inclusive learning environment and raising girl’s expectations in education.
Criticism: (national curriculum not all subjects same for boys and girls such as dance
GIRLS AND ACHIEVEMENT:
INTERNAL FACTORS
Explain the reason for girls achievement - Positive role models in schools.
- There has been an increase in the proportion of female teachers and headteachers. These qualified women in professional positions may act as role models for girls. It could be argued that primary schools in particular have become ‘feminised’, with virtually all female staff. This could influence pupils into seeing schooling as a ‘female’ activity, and benefit young girls as they are exposed to successful career women who act as positive role models. This can drive up young girl’s career aspirations and therefore motivate them to achieve highly in school.
GIRLS AND ACHIEVEMENT:
INTERNAL FACTORS
Explain the reason for girls achievement - GCSE and coursework
-Some sociologists argue that changes in the way pupils are assessed have favoured girls and disadvantaged boys. Gorard (2005) observed that the gender gap was pretty constant from 1975 until 1988 when it increased sharply. This was the year GCSE’s were introduced with coursework being a major part of most subjects. He believes that this change in assessment is the main reason for the gender gap in achievement. Mitsos and Brown (1989) support this view. They conclude that girls are more successful at coursework because they are more conscientious and better organised; spending more time on it, taking more care in presentation, and are better at meeting coursework deadlines. Therefore, having an advantage in coursework allows girls to have overall higher grades in terms of exam results.
Criticism: Elwood (2005) argues that although coursework has some influence, written exams have more influence on final grades and girls also do better in exams than boys.
GIRLS AND ACHIEVEMENT:
INTERNAL FACTORS
Explain the reason for girls achievement - Teacher attention.
French and French (1993) argue that the amount of attention given to boys and girls is quite similar and on occasions where boys are given more attention it is usually because they attract more reprimands. Swan and Gradol (1994) agree with this, finding that boys are generally more boisterous and attract the teachers gaze more than girls, resulting in them gaining more opportunities to speak in class. They found that boys dominated whole-class discussion, whereas girls preferred pair and group work and were better at listening and cooperating. In the main, the found that teacher interaction with girls was more positive and focused on schoolwork, and interaction with boys was more negative and behaviour focused. This could lead to a positive self-fulfilling prophecy with girls and a negative one in boys - explaining girls higher achievement in education.
GIRLS AND ACHIEVEMENT:
INTERNAL FACTORS
Explain the reason for girls achievement - Selection and league tables.
-Marketisation has created a more competitive climate where schools see girls as desirable recruits because they achieve better exam results. Jackson (1998) believes that high achieving girls are more attractive to schools as they can boost a school’s league table position, whereas low achieving boys are not. This creates a self-fulfilling prophecy because if girls are more likely to be recruited by good schools, they have a greater likelihood of achieving highly. Slee (1998) notes that boys are less attractive to schools because they are likely to suffer from behavioural problems and are four times more likely to be excluded. As a result, they are more likely to be perceived as a ‘liability’, and be recruited by poor achieving schools which may not aid them in achieving well.
GIRLS AND ACHIEVEMENT:
INTERNAL FACTORS
Explain the reason for girls UNDERachievement - Working class feminine identities
provide a criticism:
Not all girls are successful, there are social class differences in girls achievement.
One reason for the underachievement of wc girls is due to the conflict between wc girl’s feminine identities and the values of the school. In her study of wc girls (2010), Feminist Archer et al found that by performing their wc feminine identities, the girls gained symbolic capital (status and recognition) from their peers. For example, many wc girls invested considerable time, money and effort in constructing ‘desirable’ and ‘glamorous’ hyper-heterosexual feminine identities that combined black urban american styles with ‘sexy clothes’, make-up and hairstyles. This brought status from their female peer group, giving them a sense of value, however it lead to the school ‘othering the girls’ and marking them as incapable of educational success as their priority was not schoolwork but rather gaining peer approval. This can lead to underachievement as the girl’s feel rejected and disconnected from school and therefore their education, not putting any effort into achieving or gaining strong qualifications.
Criticism: Many girls attempted to avoid the dilemma between peer approval and educational success, by defining themselves as ‘good underneath’ (despite teachers negative views of them).
GIRLS AND ACHIEVEMENT:
INTERNAL FACTORS
Explain the reason for girls UNDERachievement - WC girls disadvantaged by income.
-While many wc girls do go on to higher education, research by Evans on 21 wc sixth form girls in a south London comprehensive school found that they may be disadvantaged by their class identities. Economic necessity was a reason for many wc girls living at home and studying at a local university. While living at home did make university more affordable, it also limited their choice of university and the market value of their degree, and meant self-exclusion from elite universities. Archer argues therefore that a preference for the local is a key feature of the working class habitus and may place a limit on their success.
BOYS AND ACHIEVEMENT: EXTERNAL FACTORS
Explain the reason for boys underachievement - Boys and literacy.
Provide a criticism for this explanation
-According to the DCSF (2007), the gender gap is mainly the result of boys’ poorer literacy and language skills which is likely to affect boy’s performance across a wide range of subjects. One reason for this may reflect the reality that parents spend less time reading to their sons. Another could be that because it is mothers who do most of the reading, it is seen as a more feminine activity. This means boys may be limited to smaller, less complex vocabularies - hindering the essential academic skills of writing and verbal expression and thus leading them underachieving compared to girls.
Criticism: This is somewhat of a generalisation. Many fathers often read to their sons and many young boys grow up with a passion for literature.
BOYS AND ACHIEVEMENT: EXTERNAL FACTORS
Explain the explanation for boys underachievement - Socialisation
Provide a criticism for this
- Early socialisation of boys can inhibit their cooperation within classroom settings. Edwards and David (2000) argue that boys mature more slowly than girls because primary socialisation encourages boys to be more boisterous and attention-seeking. This means boys often monopolise classroom environments and lack concentration. This behaviour can attract negative attention from teachers and cause them to focus on behavioural management rather than learning. Therefore girls achieve higher because their primary socialisation is seen as more conducive to the classroom environment.
Furthermore, Burns and Bracey (2001) found that the socialisation of many boys may lead to over-confidence. Boys are often surprised when they fail exams and tend to put their failure down to bad luck, not a lack of effort.
Criticism:It ignores possible schooling issues, such as teacher bias and expectations. Teachers can sometimes hold different expectations for boys and girls. For example, presuming boys are less mature and badly behaved. This lead to negative labelling by teachers and consequently degrade boys’ self esteem and motivation.
BOYS AND ACHIEVEMENT: EXTERNAL FACTORS
Explain the reason for boys underachievement - Globalisation and the decline of traditional male jobs.
Provide a criticism of this:
-Since the 1980s there has been a significant decline in heavy industries, engineering and manufacturing partly as a consequence of the global shift in production. Traditionally, these sectors of the economy employed mainly males. Mitsos and Browne (1998) claim that this decline in male employment opportunities has led to an ‘identity crisis’ for men, where they recognise they are less likely to take on a traditional ‘breadwinner’ role in the future. This has had a negative impact on boys’ motivation within schools, as they are lost about how education can provide a fulfilling and secure future.
Criticism: The decline in these jobs may not cause a decline in all boys’ motivation. Many may be encouraged to work hard and achieve highly in school as they see school as the route to gaining the breadwinner role in future.
BOYS AND ACHIEVEMENT: INTERNAL FACTORS
Explain the reasons for boys underachievement - Feminisation of education
Provide a criticism for this:
-Sewell (2006) argues that the education system has become ‘feminised’ - schools do not nurture ‘masculine’ traits such as competitiveness and leadership and now celebrate qualities more closely associated with girls, such as methodical working and attentiveness in class. This he argues, can lead to boys becoming disengaged and demotivated, because their traits are not reflected or respected within the classroom environment. Furthermore, Sewell sees the introduction of coursework as a form of assessment as a major cause of gender differences in achievement. This is because boys do less well in coursework-based subjects as they are generally less organised than girls.
