Internal factors and gender achievement

Question 1

Equal opportuinity policies and how it causes these gender differences?

What educational policies were intoduced?

Who were role models?

What was removed from national curriculum and when was it introduced?

What did Boaler, say?

Answer 1

• Due to these feminist policies and raised awareness of gender issues, teachers are more aware of avoiding stereotypes.
• they have introduced educational policies such as GIST and WISE ( Girls into science and tech .. and Women into science engineering) to encourage women to pursue non traditional female careers.
• female scientists =. Role model
• science teachers more aware of gender issues.
• introduction of the national curriculum in 1988 removed gender inequality by making students study the same subjects.
• Boaler, (a sociologist) says barriers being removed means school is more meritocratic with girls working harder then boys and achieving more.

Question 2

Positive role models in school and how it causes these gender differences?

Answer 2

• increase in female teachers/headteachers that are role models and show girls that they can aim for important and non traditional position.
• female teachers as a role model»>
  This is because they have had a long and successful education to get where they are now in position

Question 3

GCSEs and courswork and how it causes these gender differences?

Goarde says what?

Mitsos and Browne says what?

Oral exams for girls»>
Why?

Elwood says what?

Answer 3

• its argued that the way girls and boys are assesed are where girls are more at advantage.
• Goarde (a sociologist) found the gender gap widened in 1989 (when gcse and coursework came about) so he concludes the gender gap is not the general failing of boys but the changed assessment system
• Mitsos and Browne (sociologists) say girls succeed in coursworks bcos they spend more time on it, meet deadlines and are better organised.
• GCSEs have more oral exams and because of how girls have better language skills, they achieve better the boys.
• the reason to these qualities girls hold is the early socialisation of being taught to be neat and tidy which has been helpful to succeed educationally for girls.
• Elwood, (a sociologist) argues that courswork is not likely to be the reason for gender gap as exams have more influence on the final grade then courswork does.

Question 4

Teacher attention?

Answer 4

• its shown that teachers interact differently to boys and girls.
• French, (a sociologist) study found that boys got more attention because they attracted more disapprovals.
• Francis, (a sociologist) although teachers showed boys more attention, they were more harshly discplined and felt picked on by teachers.
• Swan (a sociologist) found differences in ways pupils commuinicate in lesson. He found boys dominate class discussions and girls prefer pair/ group work (this is cos they are better at listening and cooperating and taking turns) boys interrupt.
• this shows why teachers are nicer to girls- cos they are cooperative

Question 5

Challenging sterotypes and in the curriculum

Answer 5

• Removing gender sterotypes in educational textbooks removed a barrier to girls achievement.
• 70s/80s found schemes where women are portrayed as housewives and scared of science
• Weiner (a sociologist) argues teachers have challenged these stereotypes and that sexist images have been taken out of learning material which helps raise girls achievements.

Question 6

Selection and league tables

Answer 6

• marketisation policies have made schools more competitive where they see girls as desirable because they get better exam results.
• Jackson, (a sociologist) argues that league tables have created more opportuinities for girls as they get better grades and so are more desirable to schools.
• self fulfilling prophecy is created for girls so girls are more likely to do better cos they have been chosen by a good school.
• Slee (a sociologist) argues boys are lesslikely to be picked in a school as they have more behavioual issues and are 4x more likely to be excluded. This means schools see boys as preventing the school from going up in league tables.