The Achievement Gap Flashcards
why should there be no achievement gap?
- education is free
- every school follows the same curriculum
- everyone takes the same exams (national testing)
what are external factors?
factors within the home/wider society
what are the internal factors?
factors within the school
give four trends that show the gap in achievement in boys/girls?
- GCSE (2021) pass rate, girls= 80.6%, boys= 73.6%
- 57% of higher education students are females
- girls out perform boys in every SATs exam but perform the same in maths with 80%
- A-Levels 2021, most common grade, girls=A, boys=B
give some examples of external factors that have lead to the overachievement of girls?
- bedroom culture, girls read, write diaries,improved creativity, stricter curfews, socialisation, sleepovers with friends where they talk and listen.
- McRobbie’s magazines covers research, shift in what covers showed, from house-wives to careers.
- girls aspirations have changed, influenced by having their mother as a role model who is now the breadwinner
what external policies have affected the achievement of girls?
- Equal Pay Act
- Divorce Reform Act
- Sex Discrimination Act
what are some example of internal factors that affect the overachievement of girls?
- girls have more role models, as there is more female teachers (in 2019 in primary schools, there was 75.8% female)
- girls receive positive attention and labels due to being perceived as hard-working as they are socialised to be quiet and polite
- way curriculum is taught favours girls
- educational policies created helped girls, eg GIST/WISE, introduction of coursework, able to access same subjects as boys
what are the external factors that affect the underachievement of boys?
- encouraged to be disruptive, loud and attention-seeking, which has been normalised, they have less social control, and parents are less strict
- crisis of masculinity, lack confidence, low self esteem
- encouraged to be outside and not to read, they are more exposed to adult context from an early age.
- negative thoughts towards education
what are some example of internal factors that affect the underachievement of boys?
- more negative attention from teachers , gain negative labels, less teacher support
- boys are more likely to join anti-school subcultures due to hegemonic masculinity
- decreased expectations from teachers, cooled down from universities/higher education
- less male teachers so not as many role models
- self-fulfilling prophecy is internalised from negative labels, more exclusions, reducing opportunities
what are four examples that show that one gender is more common in certain subjects?
- 93% of computing students= male
- 79% of physics students= male
- 33% of public service students= female
- 29% of drama students= male
what are gender routes?
the pathway into jobs and careers
- subject choice
- our choices at A-levels/apprenteships shape our career opportunities.
children’s care route was dominated by females, by how much?
99%
construction route was dominated by males, by how much?
98%
what are the four explanations of the gender differences in subject choice?
- early socialisation
- gendered subject image
- peer pressure
- career opportunities
what did ELWOOD say about early socialisation and what does this mean?
- family/media gender domains
- tasks/activities seen as ‘girls’/’boys’ territory
- feel more comfortable sticking to this
what did KELLY say about gendered subject images?
- boys pick science because…
- teacher more likely to be male
- examples teachers use more likely to engage/interest boys
what did COLLEY say about gendered subject images?
- boys pick ICT because..
- involves working with machines/more hands on
- usually completed alone
what does peer pressure in subject choice lead to, what did DEWAR say about this?
- leads to more negativity, harassment and peer pressure (subjects falling out of domain)
- DEWAR= male students called females lesbians/butch if they do sports
- boys less likely to do drama/dance, fear of being judged as gay.
explain the idea of career opportunities that are sex-typed to do with career choice?
- girls= hsc, prepare them for feminine jobs
- unlikely boys pick nursing/childcare, due to stigma attached of men working with children/too feminine
what is the impact of single-sex schools?
- no gender differences/scripts
- girls/boys take any subject regardless of gender script
- EVIDENCE= girls in single sex schools are 2.5X more likely to take physics than those in mixed schools
what are the problems of gender subjects according to COLLEY?
-subjects that girls pick, lead to low status and low-paid jobs, compared to subjects that boys pick
what are 4 social class and achievement patterns?
- college, MC=a-levels, WC=vocational
- disadvantaged-25% achieve 5/above at GCSE, with free school meal pupils less likely to pass
- living in deprived areas= more likely to be excluded
- more MC go to Uni, but has seen a rise in WC (18,900 in 2021 going to Uni)
what does educational achievement rise with?
family income
what percentage of children from high professional families achieve 5 or more GCSEs A*-C?
77%
what percentage of children from unemployed families achieve 5 or more GCSEs A*-C?
33%
what is the percentage gap between family achievement at GCSE?
44% in longitudinal UK 2007