Gender: Internal

Question 1

What are the internal factors on gender differences?

Answer 1

-Equal opportunities policies
-Positive role models
-Gcse and coursework
-Teacher attention
-Challenging stereotypes in the curriculum
-Selection and league tables

Question 2

Boaler

Answer 2

Sees the impact of equal opportunity policies a key reason for the change in girls achievement. Many barriers removed (meritocratic).

Question 3

Name two policies that encourage girls

Answer 3

-GIST: girls into science and technology
-WISE: women in science and engineering

Question 4

When was the national curriculum changed for girls?

Answer 4

1988, removed a source of gender equality- girls and boys study mostly sane subjects.

Question 5

When was the gender gap fairly constant until?

Answer 5

-1989- coursework introduced as major part of grading
-gender gap= ‘product of the changed system of assessment not more boys failing’

Question 6

Mitsos and Browne

Answer 6

-Conclude girls more successful in coursework as:
-spend more time -better at meeting deadline -care more w presentation

Question 7

Why might coursework not have a huge influence on exams?

Answer 7

Although coursework has some influence, it’s unlikely to be the only cause of gender gap, as exams have much more influence on grades.

Question 8

How to teachers tend to distribute attention to boys

Answer 8

While boys got more attention, they were disciplined more harshly. Felt picked on by teachers, that tended to have lower expectations (francis)

Question 9

Swann

Answer 9

Gender differences in communication styles.
Boys- dominate whole class discussion
Girls- prefer group work, taking in turns, listen (SFP)

Question 10

How school learning material changed since 1980s?

Answer 10

• T have challenged stereotypes & sexist images have been removed from learning material.

Question 11

Jackson

Answer 11

League Tables have improved opportunities for girls, high achieving girls are attractive to schls but low achieving boys are not.
-Creates a SFP, more likely recruited by good schools, so do well.

Question 12

Liberal feminists view of gender differences

Answer 12

-Celebrate progress made in improving achievement. Believe more is to be made by further equal opportunities policies, positive role models, overcoming sexist attitudes/ stereotypes
-Similar to functionalists: edu is meritocratic- all have equal opportunities

Question 13

Radical feminists view of gender differences

Answer 13

-More critical, while they recognise girls are achieving more, emphasise it remains patriarchal- conveys clear message it’s a mans world eg.

-sexual harassment of girls at schl
-Still limits girls subject/career options
-men still more likely head teachers

Question 14

% of wc girls that gained 5+ A-C GCSEs

Answer 14

eligible for free school meals: 40.6%
those not eligible: 67.5%

Question 15

Archer (symbolic capital)

Answer 15

Feminist: one reason for differences is conflict between wc feminine identities (gained symbolic capital from peers) and values of the schl.
-prevented educational capital & economic capital (careers)

Question 16

How do wc get a feminine identity?

Answer 16

-hyper-heterosexual identity-invest considerable time, effort, money
-have a boyfriend-uninterested in edu
-being loud-conflict w teachers

(major causes of underachievement)

Question 17

Bourdieu

Answer 17

symbolic violence, harm done by denying someone’s symbolic capital

Question 18

Evans study

Answer 18

-sixth form girls, those that wanted to go uni to increasing earning power wanted it to help family.
-reflects wc feminine identities (caring)
-Wished to stay home= self exclusion= limit success

Question 19

Reasons for a larger gender gap for boys

Answer 19

-poorer literacy
-decline in traditional men’s jobs
-feminisation of education
-shortage of male T
-laddish subcultures

Question 20

DCSF (2007)

Answer 20

-gender gap mainly result of boys poor literacy and language skills
-parents read less to them, mostly mothers read (feminine activity)
-leisure pursuits- sports. Girls ‘bedroom culture’

Question 21

Name two Gov policies to raise boys achievement

Answer 21

-The Raising Boys Achievement Project
-National Literacy Strategy

Question 22

Mitsos & Browne (trad jobs)

Answer 22

-This decline in male employment opportunities has led to an ‘identity crisis’ for men
-Many see little prospects available, undermines motivation/self esteem

Question 23

Sewell (feminisation)

Answer 23

-Boys fall behind as edu has become ‘feminised’
-coursework a major cause, should replace some with exams & outdoor adventure in curriculum

‘not a mans world. But we have thrown the boy out with the bathwater’

Question 24

Stats on shortage of male primary T

Answer 24

-many boys raised in the 1.5m female LPFs- no role model at home or schl
-14% T are male

Question 25

Read

Answer 25

-Critics Sewells claim that primarys feminised & only males can discipline boys

Question 26

Read Study

Answer 26

-Study of primary Ts:found that most (male and female) used masculine disciplinarian discourse to control pupils behaviour.
-this disproves claim that only m provide a stricter class boys thrive in.

Question 27

What are the chances of M getting headship compared to F

Answer 27

male teachers 1/4 chance of headship
female teachers 1/13

-Proof it’s a male-dominated structure, numerically dominated by females.

Question 28

Epstein (laddish sc)

Answer 28

examined the construction of masculinity in schools.
-Wc boys that engage in edu: more likely harassed, labelled sissies, subject to homophobia (swots, gay ect)
-As in wc culture, masculinity= tough, manual work

Question 29

Why are laddish subcultures becoming more widespread?

Answer 29

-As girls move into traditional masculine areas boys respond by ‘becoming increasingly laddish in effort to construct themselves as non-feminine’ (francis)

Question 30

Ringrose (moral panic)

Answer 30

-Views abt girls ‘having it all’ has contributed to ‘failing boys’ moral panic.
-Moral panic has caused major shift in ed policy. Now aims to raise boys achievement. 2 negatives…

-ignores social class & ethnic minorities (simply ‘failing boys’)
-Only looking at achievement gaps, ignores other problems eg bullying, harassment, stereotypes ect.

Question 31

Is the gender gap greater, compared to other achievement gaps?

Answer 31

-Similarities are greater between G and B achievement than the differences, when compared to class & ethnic gaps
-class gap at GCSE= 3x wider than gender

Question 32

How do T encourage gender role socialisation?

Answer 32

-T encourage B to be tough, show initiative, not be weak or behave like sissies.
-Whereas G are expected to be quiet, helpful, clean and tidy.
Helps explain why boys prefer science subjects and girls english (Bryne)

Question 33

Browne & Ross (gender domains)

Answer 33

-Children more confident when engaging in tasks that fit their ‘gender domain’ eg maths tasks, girls confident when abt food, boys when abt cars

Question 34

gendered subject choice- science a boy subject?

Answer 34

-Argues science is seen as a ‘boys subject’ because:
-Science T are more likely men
-examples T use & textbooks often boys interests
-boys dominate the lab, acting like it’s ‘theirs’

Question 35

Leonard

Answer 35

single sex school pupils tend to hold less stereotypes on subjects
-Girls in girls schools more likely to take math &science & at uni.
-Boys in boys schools more likely to take English & language.

Question 36

Fuller (gender, vocational choice, class)

Answer 36

Wc girls aimed for gendered careers in childcare, hair & beauty ect (wc habitus’
-concludes the schl was implicitly steering girls towards a certain type of job-hence certain vocational course.

Question 37

Connell

Answer 37

-Difference experiences reinforce ‘hegemonic masculinty’- the dominance of heterosexual masculine identity & subordination of females/gays

Question 38

Lees

Answer 38

-For sexual morality, boys boast but girls get called a slag if she doesn’t have a steady boyfriend or speaks/ acts a certain way ‘drags’ if she didn’t.
(feminist: patriarchal ideology, justifies men’s power, devalues women)

Question 39

Connell

Answer 39

a ‘rich vocabulary of abuse’ is one way the dominant gender & sexual identities are reinforced
-eg name calling,to put girls down eg lezzie, queer ect.

Question 40

Ghaill

Answer 40

male gaze: the way male pupils and T look girls ‘up & down’ , seeing the, as sexual objects & making judgements abt their appearance
-form of surveillance, way to prove masculinity

Question 41

Ghaills study (male peer groups)

Answer 41

-peer groups reproduce a range of class-based masculine gender identities
-eg wc macho lads= dismissive of other wc boys who work hard for a mc career, called them dickhead achievers’.

Question 42

how do male t subtly reinforce gender stereotypes

Answer 42

eg ‘rescuing’ female colleagues when pupils are being disruptive. reinforces idea women can’t cope alone.