Gender and education

Question 1

Give 4 facts about gender and differential achievement.

Answer 1

1. girls do better in SATs
2. girls do better in GCSEs
3. girls are more likely to pass A-Levels
4. Girls are more likely to go to uni

Question 2

Why do internal factors help girls to do better at school?

Answer 2

Mitsos and Browne - teaching has been feminised
Textbooks have less stereotypes
National Curriculum forces girls to do STEM subjects
Swann and Graddol - quality of interaction with teachers (talking about work, not being told off)
Jackson - boys are negatively labelled at school

Question 3

Why does Archer argue that girls still face problems at school?

Answer 3

High-achieving Asian and Chinese girls are labelled as ‘robots’
Black working class girls are labelled as loud and aggressive
Ongoing achievement of girls is seen as fragile and problematic

Question 4

Why do external factors explain why girls do better at school?

Answer 4

Girls are socialised into behaviour that is well-suited to the classroom (be quiet, read, listen)
Equal Pay and Sex Discrimination acts have created more opportunities
Sharpe - girls’ priorities have changed, they want careers not families
Feminist movement caused change in female expectations
Changes in family structure, equal roles

Question 5

What are the 4 reasons for boys underachieving?

Answer 5

1. Identity crisis - no longer needed as breadwinner
2. teachers have lower expectations/negative labels
3. feminisation of teaching - no role models
4. reading is seen as girly but is vital for communication skills

Question 6

How can subcultures be used to explain differential achievement between genders?

Answer 6

1. Willis - the ‘lads’ reject school and form a subculture where education doesn’t matter and having fun does
2. Mac an Ghaill - boys may also join ‘macho lad’ group because of a crisis of masculinity
3. Fuller - african-carribean girl groups worked hard to prove labels wrong

Question 7

What type of subjects are typical of boys/girls to choose?

Answer 7

Boys choose technical ones e.g maths, physics

Girls choose essay based ones e.g english, re

Question 8

What are the 3 key reasons which influence subject choice?

Answer 8

1. gender socialisation (stereotypes)
2. parental expectations (tradition)
3. teachers (relationships/role models)