Education- Gender: Internal factors Flashcards
Pirie
A shift towards course work benefitted girls because research suggests boys tend to cram for exams quite effectively, but are poor at organising themselves to be successful at coursework.
Mitsos and Browne
Girls do better with coursework because they are more conscientious and better organised than boys. Oral exams are also said to benefit girls as they have stronger oral skills than boys.
Swann
Boys prefer whole class discussions and often dominate these by interrupting, whereas girls prefer pair work and group work where they listen and cooperate. This might explain why teachers respond more positively to girls as they see them as cooperative, and more negatively to boys, as they see them as disruptive. Self-fulfilling prophecy.
Coffey and Delamont
Schools have always been patriarchal- by 2014, most senior staff in schools were males.
Archer
Working class girls underachieve because they focus on creating a hyper-heterosexual feminine identity, having a boyfriend and being too loud.
Evans
Working class girls were reluctant to apply for universities like Oxbridge, as they felt a sense of hidden barriers, and had a strong attachment to their locality- their w/c neighbourhood gave them a sense of identity and feared losing it. However, they wanted to increase their earning power to help their extended families.
why w/c boys underachieve
-Literacy skills; children are mainly read to by their Mothers so boys equate reading as a feminine activity. Boys leisure pursuits do not help their literacy skills.
- Globalisation; since the 1980’s there has been a decline in heavy industry jobs such as mining, which are thought to be ‘male jobs’. Without these jobs, men are having an identity crisis.
Lack of male role models in the classroom
The presence of a male teacher made boys behave better and work harder. Primary schools are staffed mainly by female teachers who are unable to control the behaviour of these male attention seeking boys.
Read
Criticises the idea that boys NEED male teachers. 2 languages used my teachers:
- Disciplinarian discourse- explicit, visible, masculinity.
- Liberal discourse- implicit and invisible.
Read said that primary schools have not become feminised as female and male teachers are both just as likely to use disciplinarian discourse to control their students.
Jackson
Academic work was seen as uncool by boys and masculinity was equated with being tough and doing manual work. Schoolwork is seen as effeminate and inferior. Boys are likely to be harassed and subject to homophobic verbal abuse if they appear to be “swots”.
Colley
Traditional definitions of masculinity and femininity are still widespread. Subjects still continue to have gendered images: computing, PE and DT are all seen as masculine, and social sciences, arts and humanities are seen as feminine. Girls tend to feel more comfortable doing these ‘masculine subjects’ in single sex classes or schools. This means girls will end up in relatively low paid professions compared with males.
Dawar
Girls who do sport are seen as lesbian or butch
What % of students who did an apprenticeship in construction were male vs female?
98% male, 2% female
Lees
Double standard of sexual morality. Boys can boast about their sexual exploits but when girls do, they are called a ‘slag’.
