Education - Gender Flashcards
Education Reform Act (1988)? Girls A, Changes
Introduction of coursework - girls are more methodological and organised.
Introduction of the national curriculum meant that boys and girls were entitled to the same education.
GIST and WISE? Girls A, Changes
Teacher training changed to develop girls in different ways than previously seen. Exam questions, textbooks and classroom language has changed to recognise girls.
Mitsos and Browne? Girls A, Attitudes
Statistics show that boys are underachieving, yet they also believe that girls are disadvantaged through their subject choices and life chances.
Balanced position focusing on reasons for girls achievement and boys underachievement.
Sue Sharpe? Girls A, attitudes
Found that girls priorities have changed. Shift from focus on marriage and children to career are supporting themselves. Being career focused means that girls work harder in education to ensure success. Education was seen as the main route to a good job and financial independence.
Francis and Skelton? Girls A, attitudes
Majority of students saw their future identity in terms of their career, rather than seeking employment as a gap before marriage. Girls, especially in middle class families, were under increasing pressure from parents to achieve exam success.
Beck? Girls A, attitudes
Risk society where society is categorised by greater risk and uncertainty. This can be seen in greater concern about this risks of divorce, relationship breakdown and loss of jobs.
People are now more concerned about their personal needs, being more self- reliant.
Young women are putting their women financial independance first and are more wary of the risks associated with marriage and economic dependence on a husband.
Burns and Bracey? Girls A, socialisation
Girls put more effort into homework and unlike boys prepared for draft and redraft assignments.
Girls appear to mature earlier than boys.
Appears that girls work harder and are more motivated than boys.
Oakley? Girls A, socialisation
Manipulation
Canalisation
Verbal Appellations
Different activities
McRobbie and Garber? Girls A, socialisation
Girls were more protected by their parents and given less freedom than boys. As a result they tended to spend more time at home and developed bedroom cultures which also meant they were more likely to study.
Arnot? Girls A, job market
Growing number of female teachers and women in management positions in school and HE. Provides positive role models.
Mac an Ghail? Girls A, job market
Studied masculine subcultures. Deindustrialisation and the decline in masculine jobs.
Mitsos and Browne? Girls A, job market
Girls and boys socialisation is different and that girls socialisation may enhance their opportunities.
Kelly? Girls U, job market
Science subjects are packaged for boys
Colley? Girls U, job market
Gendered subject choices due to perception of gender roles, learning environment, and teacher/parental encouragement.
Mac and Ghail? Male U, job market
Macho lads and anti school subculture. Crisis of masculinity due to deindustrailisation. Saw a shift to office based jobs that ‘suited the lifestyles of women’.
The men had some options: gain white collar jobs, face the prospect of low paid work, face unemployment.
Due to their attitudes, they did not have the academic qualifications needed in order to move into new working class jobs roles.
Mitsos and Browne? Male U, job market
Culture of masculinity, anti school subculture in relation to WC and MC differences.
MC boys wanted to go into white collar professions like their fathers
WC boys wanted to be footballers and lacked clear aspirations.
Willis? Male U, culture of masculinity
Displayed strong hegemonic masculinity. Wanted to follow in their fathers footsteps, and didn’t value education. Consequently, underachieved.
Sewell? Male U, culture of masculinity
Lack of positive role models, hyper masculine, anti school subcultures.
Frosh et al? Male U, culture of masculinity
Studied boys attitudes to learning and found they were feared being called ‘gay’ by their peers if they worked hard. This lead to them acting masculine. As a result they may underachieve.
Jackson? Male U, culture of masculinity
Boys asserting laddish identities as a way of re developing their masculinity. Anti school and emphasise the idea that working hard is not masculine.
Boys are more confident in their abilities so think that they do not need to work hard.
Epstein? Male U, expectations
2 explanations for male underachievement
- poor boys discourse: boys are seen as victims, discriminating against boys
- boys will be boys discourse: teachers claim that boys have a natural inclination to be boys, lazy, noisy, demanding etc.
Francis and Skelton? Male U, expectations
Identities 2 further discourses:
- The ‘problem boys discourse’: boys are seen as the problem by teachers
- The ‘at risk’ boys discourse: where boys aren’t bad, but vulnerable. They are socially excluded and disconnected from the wider society, confused, insecure and possessing low self esteem.
Coffey? Male underachievement evaluation
Moral panics, fears reflect wider concerns about a fall in educational standards and loss of traditional masculine identities.
