Gender differences in Achievement

Question 1

Can you name the // Girls // external factors for differences in achievement ?

Answer 1

• Impact of feminism
- Changes in woman employment / equal pay act ( 1970 ) and sex discrimination act ( 1975 )

• Sharpe, changing girls ambition / more women role models in high positions / straying away from a domestic role

Question 2

Can you name the // Girls // internal factors for differences in achievement ?

Answer 2

• Mitos & Brown, GCSE & Coursework- Girls do better than boys in coursework -> Gorad found gender gap in achievement when GCSE’s introduced

• Equal opportunities policy
1) GIST & WISE
2) National curriculum - Girls and boys largely study the same subjects, e.g, making science compulsory

• Role models - Female teachers / feminises learning environment, encouraging girls in school

• Teacher attention
1) Swann - Boys dominate class discussions / girls better at cooperating, thus teachers respond more positively and give encouragement to them
2) French & French - Boys receive more attention because they are disciplined more

• Jackson, league tables - introduction of league tables improved opportunities for girls / high level girls are attractive to schools

Question 3

Can you name the // Boys // external factors for differences in achievement ?

Answer 3

• Boys literacy - Parents spend less time reading to their sons / seen as ‘feminine’ activity
• McRobbie - Boys leisure time does not encourage language & communication skills, whereas girls ‘bedroom culture’ does
• Mac an Ghaill - Decline in manual labour, Globalisation / decline in heavy industries in UK / male ‘identity’ crisis, giving them little motivation to get qualifications for a job

Question 4

Can you name the // Boys // internal factors for differences in achievement ?

Answer 4

• Sewell, feminisation of school - Boys fall behind as education becomes ‘feminised’ / schools no longer nurture masculine traits / coursework is a disadvantage / lack of male primary school teachers
-> HOWEVER, Francis found that 2/3rds of 7-8 year olds believed the gender of their teacher doesn’t matter

• Laddish subculture - Peer-pressure on boys to demonstrate their masculinity by being anti-school