gender and education internal factors - girls

Question 1

What are the internal factors that affect girls’ achievement in education?

Answer 1

Equal opportunities policy, role models, coursework, teacher attention, selection and league tables

Question 2

How does the equal opportunities policy affect female achievement? How can you evaluate this?

Answer 2

GIST: girls into science and technology
WISE: women into science and engineering
(encouraged girls to participate in STEM subjects)

Since the introduction of the national curriculum in 1988, boys and girls now carry out the majority of the same subjects which equalised opportunities for the genders. It made education more meritocratic, which meant girls then had equal chances to succeed.

Ao3:
- there may be a lack of enforcement of these policies
- influenced by cultural factors too such as parental attitudes, beliefs about gender roles and societal expectations

Question 3

How do role models affect female achievement? How can you evaluate this?

Answer 3

There are now more female teachers and headteachers in schools compared to in the past, and this provides a pro-education role model for girls. This positively impacts their achievement as they have female authority figures to look up to and admire.

Ao3:
- there are still a lack of female role models in STEM subjects
- headteachers are more likely to be male which makes girls aware of the gender hierarchy within education, which may cap their aspirations