Education: Differences in achievement by Gender Flashcards
What has inspired greater emphasis on equal opportunities in school since the 1980s?
Research carried out that showed that there was a systematic discrimination against girls/women in the education system due to presentation in materials, attitudes of teachers etc.
What did Rothermel (and others) conclude about boys achievement outside the school environment compared to girls in school?
- Boys who were home-schooled tended to do as well, if not better, than girls within the education system. This suggests that what goes on inside the school has an impact on boys achievement.
Epstein (1998): identifies a poor boys discourse
that blames schools for failure to cater to boys
Haralambos & Holborn (2013): In more recent times, concluded the generalisation that girls do better than boys is more applicable to WC boys. The gap is smaller is middle classes.
How can it be argued that school has been ‘feminised’?
It’s been found that boys feel schools have a higher expectation of girls than boys and boys feel less supported in school. This adds a sense of alienation.
How can it be argued that school has not been ‘feminised’?
Schools have always been patriarchal, illustrated by the gender composition of school leadership teams.
The hidden curriculum is one which is male orientated.
How can it be argued curriculum and assessment plays a role in how well different genders achieve?
- When coursework is more important inthe qualification process, girls tend to do better because of organisational and research skills that are necessary.
- Pre-1988, O-levels were exams geared towards boys and the final ‘throw of the dice’ high stakes assessment mentality.
- Change to GCSEs coincided with greater achievement for girls
- Since 2010 and the coalition government/’knowledge term’, boys have begun to close the gap with girls and even overtook achievement in maths where coursework was removed altogether
What has research shown regarding gender and subject choice?
Skelton, Francis and Valkanova (2014): stereotypical trends in post-14 choice
Colley (1998):
- Such rend mean that females end up in lower paid jobs than men
- Her research found that the reasons for subject choice are partly due to factors outside the education system
What has the patterns of girls’ achievement been since WW2?
- Girls have out-performed boys and, gradually, barriers to their success have been removed.
- It’s clear that there were some institutional barriers for women in the immediate years after WW2. E.g. no extra places
What has Edwards and David (2000) concluded about the socialisation of girls in the home and links to education?
- 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
- Girls are more likely to be talked to by their parents
What is the influence of male ‘peer groups’ on educational achievement?
Boys’ behaviour was more readily shaped by peer groups and this behaviour was shaped around macho values.
What is meant by ‘genderquake’?
In the last two decades of the 20th century, young women experienced profound changes in their attitudes and expectations about their futures
What are the main in school factors affecting difference in achievement?
- Teacher attention
- Style of assessment and hidden curriculum
- Role models in school
What are the main out of school factors affecting difference in achievement?
- The Feminist Movement: in society, encouraging a closing the gap between men and women that led to more opportunities for women
- Changes in Family: girls are now not expected to leave school and assume their role as a housewife. Societal movements towards equality has made educational achievement more worthwhile for girls
- Policies/change in employment opportunities: although there is a gender pay gap, there are far more employment opportunities for women than there were only a few decades ago. These include jobs of high levels that require higher education.
