Gender and Education

Question 1

Name external factors affecting girls achievement

Answer 1

1. The impact of feminism - McRobbie
2. Changed in employment - EPA 1970
3. Changes in family - Willmott and Young, symmetrical family
4. Changes in attitudes- Sharpe, Fuller

Question 2

Name 6 internal factors affecting girls achievement in education

Answer 2

1. Equal opportunities policies - GIST, WISE
2. Positive role models- women as head teachers
3. GCSE and coursework - Gorard- AO3- Elwood
4. Teacher attention- Francis, Swann
5. Challenging stereotypes in the curriculum- Weiner
6. Selection and league tables- Jackson, Slee

Question 3

What do liberal feminists believe about girls’ achievement?

Answer 3

Celebrate the progress
Believe further progress will be made- equal opportunity policies
View education as meritocratic

Question 4

What do radical feminists believe about girls’ achievement?

Answer 4

Education is still patriarchal and the education system still promotes the idea that its a mans world
Weiner - secondary school history is a ‘women free zone’
Limited girls’s subjects
men likely to be secondary school headteachers

Question 5

What is symbolic capital?

Answer 5

Symbolic capital is the status, recognition and sense of worth that is obtained from peers.

Question 6

What did archer say about symbolic capital and working class girls?

Answer 6

Conflict between WC girl’s feminine identities and ethos of the school

Strategies girl’s adopted to create sense of self
1) Hyper-heterosexual feminine identity
2) Having a boyfriend
3) Being ‘loud’

Question 7

What did Evans find about girls and university?

Answer 7

WC girls wanted to go onto university to increase earning power and help their families

Question 8

What did Skeggs say about girls and university ?

Answer 8

Working class girls choosing to go to university to hep their family reflects on their ‘caring’ identity

Question 9

What did Archer say about girls and university ?

Answer 9

Preferred to stay local (working class habitus) resulting in exclusion from top universities

Question 10

What are the 2 external factors for boys underachievement?

Answer 10

1) boys and literacy - DCSF - bad language, literacy, reading seen as feminine, leisure time

2) globalisation and the decline in male jobs - Mitsos and Browne - identity crisis, low self esteem/ motivation

Question 11

What are the 3 internal factors for boys underachievement?

Answer 11

1) Laddish subcultures - Epstein, Francis
2) Feminisation of education - Sewell
3) shortage of male primary school teachers - Yougov - 39% 8-11 year olds never had a male teacher
AO3- Francis - 2/3 of kids 7-8 say it doesn’t matter the gender of their teacher

Question 12

What are some policies brought in by the government to help improve the achievement of boys?

Answer 12

Dads & Sons
National Literacy strategy
Teacher recruitment - attract more male teachers

Question 13

What are some policies Brought in by the government to help improve the achievement of girls?

Answer 13

GIST & WISE
National Curriculum