Gender differences in education and achievement

Question 1

Department for education study in state primary schools (2013)

Answer 1

boys were 2.5 times more likely than girls to have statements of special educational needs

Question 2

Gender gap in KS1 - KS3

Answer 2

girls do consistently better than boys especially in english

Question 3

Gender gap at A level

Answer 3

girls are more likely to sit, pass and get higher grades - though gap is much narrower than gcse

Question 4

Name the 4 external factors of gender difference and achievement

Answer 4

1. Impact of feminism
2. Changes in the family
3. Changes in womens employment
4. Girls changing ambitions

Question 4

McRobbie (1994) - impact of feminism

Answer 4

study of girls magazines - in the 1970’s they were being left on the shelf and now contain images of assertive, independent women

Question 5

Name some changes in the family since the 1970’s

Answer 5

1. Increase in divorce rate
2. Increase in cohabitation
3. Increase in lone parent families

Question 5

How have changes in the family affected gender achievement

Answer 5

Increase in female headed lone parent families may mean more women are the breadwinners and therefore creates role model for girls and encourages them to gain own qualifications

Question 6

How have changes in employment affected gender achievement?

Answer 6

1970 Equal Pay Act - illegal to pay women less than men for work of equal value - now beneficial to go to work

Decrease in pay gap

Number of women in employment has increased - encouraged girls to see future in paid employment rather than housewife - greater career opportunities.

Question 7

Sharpe study

Answer 7

Interviews with girls in 1970’s showed girls to have low aspirations - educational success was “unfeminine- prioritised love, marriage, children

In 1990’s girls more likely to want careers and not be dependent on husbands

Question 8

Beck and Beck (2001)

Answer 8

trend towards individualisation in modern society - career promises recognition and economic self sufficiency

Question 9

Biggart (2002)

Answer 9

working class girls are more likely to face precarious position in the labour market and to see motherhood as the only viable option for their futures - see less point in achieving in education

Question 10

Name the 6 internal factors affecting gender differences in educational achievement

Answer 10

1. Equal opportunity policies
2. Positive role models in schools
3. GCSE and coursework
4. Teacher attention
5. Challenging stereotypes in the curriculum
6. Selection and league tables

Question 11

GIST and WISE policy

Answer 11

encourages girls to pursue careers in non traditional areas (science, technology and engineering)

Question 12

Introduction of national curriculum (1988)

Answer 12

making girls and boys study mostly the same subjects - removed one source of gender inequality

Question 13

Mitsos and Browne - coursework

Answer 13

girls are more successful in coursework because they are more conscientious and better organised than boys - has helped them to achieve educationally

Question 14

Swann - teacher attention

Answer 14

boys dominate in whole class discussion whereas girls prefer pair work and group work - this is why teachers respond more positively to girls whom they see as cooperative than boys who they see as potentially disruptive - could lead to self fulfilling prophecy

Question 15

Jackson - marketisation policies

Answer 15

introduction of exam league tables have improved opportunities for girls - high achieving girls are attractive to schools but low achieveing boys are not

Question 16

Liberal feminist view on girls achievement

Answer 16

celebrate progress made so far in improving achievement - believe further progress will be made by the continuing development

Question 17

Radical feminist view on girls achievement

Answer 17

recognise girls are achieving more but emphasise that system remains patriarchal - education still limits girls subject choices, women are under represented in many areas of curriculum

Question 18

What is meant by the term symbolic capital?

Answer 18

refers to the status, recognition and sense of worth that we are able to obtain from others

Question 19

Archer - symbolic capital

Answer 19

conflict between working class girls feminine identity and ethos of the school.

Girls adopted hyper heterosexual feminine identities - got boyfriends and focused on appearance but got punished by school for this

Question 20

DCSF (2007) - boys and achievement

Answer 20

gender gap is mainly the result of boys poorer literacy and language skills - parents spend less time reading to their sons. Leisure pursuits like sports do little to help language and communication skills

Question 21

Mitsos and Browne - boys and achievement

Answer 21

Since 1980’s there has been a decline in traditional mens jobs and this has led to an identity crisis for men - many boys believe they have little prospect of getting a proper job - undermines motivation and self esteem

Question 22

Criticism of decline in traditional mens jobs

Answer 22

these jobs didnt require qualifications anyways therefore decline in jobs shouldnt have much impact on motivation to gain qualifications

Question 23

Read - male teachers
Name the 2 types of language/discourse

Answer 23

culture of primary schools is becoming feminised and only male teachers can exert the firm discipline boys need to achieve

1. Disciplinarian discourse - teachers authority made explicit and visble eg shouting
2. Liberal discourse - teachers authority implicit and invisible

Question 24

Francis - boys and achievement

Answer 24

boys were more concerned about being labelled by peers because this label has more of a threat to masculinity then to girls femininty - therefore laddish subculture was important to them

Question 25

Epstein - boys and achievement

Answer 25

working class boys are likely to be harassed and subjected to homophobic verbal abuse - may deter them from taking feminine subjects. GIST and WISE programmes dont really exist for boys for more feminine subjects - gendered subject images

Question 26

Browne and Ross - gender and subject choice

Answer 26

children beliefs about gender domains are shaped by their early experiences and expectations of adults - children are more confident when engaging in tasks that they see as part of their own gender domain

Question 27

Leonard - gender and subject choice

Answer 27

girls in girls schools were more likely to take maths and science a levels - tend to hold less stereotyped subject images

Question 28

Teacher stereotyping and gendered career opportunities

Answer 28

Teachers may push lower class children into taking vocational courses especially those bases on a traditional sense of gender identity eg girls into child care - might also give them gendered and classed work experience options

Question 29

What is meant by hegemonic masculinity?

Answer 29

dominance of heterosexual masculine identity and the subordination of female and gay identities

Question 30

Mac an Ghails study of Parnell school

Answer 30

peer groups reproduce a range of different class based masculine gender identities

working class macho lads - dismissive of other w class boys who worked hard to achieve - called them “dickhead achievers”

Question 31

“Boffin identity”

Answer 31

Girls who want to be successful educationally may feel the need to conform to the schools notion of the ideal feminine pupil identity