Theorists - Gender and Education Flashcards
Key Theorist - McRobbie (1994): Impact of Feminism on Gender and Educational Achievement
WHAT DID THEY ARGUE?
- In the 1970s, magazines emphasised the importance of getting married and not being ‘left on the shelf’, whereas nowadays, they contain images of assertive, independent women.
Key Theorist - Sharpe (1994): Impact of Changes in Girls’ Perceptions on Gender and Educational Achievement
WHAT DID THIS THEORY DO?
- Carried out interviews with girls in the 1970s and 1990s to show there has been a major shift in the way girls see their future.
Key Theorist - Sharpe (1994): Impact of Changes in Girls’ Perceptions on Gender and Educational Achievement
WHAT DID THE STUDY FIND?
- In 1974, girls had lower aspirations and believed that educational success was unfeminine, and that appearing to be ambitious would be considered unattractive.
- They gave their priorities as as ‘love, marriage, children, jobs and careers’ in that order.
- By the 1990s, girls ambitions had changed and they had a different order of priorities - they wanted to have a career and be able to support themselves as a priority.
- Girls were now more likely to see their future as a strong, independent woman with a career, rather than as a person who is dependent on their husband and his income.
Key Theorist - O’Connor (2006): Impact of Changes in Girls’ Perceptions on Gender and Educational Achievement
WHAT DID THIS THEORY FIND?
- From a study of 14-17 year olds, marriage and children were not a major part of their life plans.
Key Theorist - Fuller (2011): Impact of Changes in Girls’ Perceptions on Gender and Educational Achievement
WHAT DID THIS THEORY FIND?
- Education was a central part of their identity.
- Girl’s saw themselves as creators of their own future.
- They believed in meritocracy and aimed for a professional career that would enable them to support themselves.
- Clearly, these aspirations required qualifications, whereas those of 1970s girls, did not.
Key Theorist - Boaler (1998): Gender and Educational Achievement
WHAT DID THEY ARGUE?
- Educational policies are a key reason for the changes in the achievement of girls.
- Many of the barriers have been removed, and schooling has become more meritocratic, so that girls (who generally work harder than boys) achieve more.
Key Theorist - Gorard (2005): Gender and Educational Achievement
WHAT DID THIS THEORY FIND?
- The gender gap in educational achievement was fairly consistent between 1975 and 1989, when it increased rapidly.
- 1989 was the first year that GCSEs were introduced, bringing with them coursework as a major part of nearly all subjects.
- The gender gap is a product of the changed system rather than a failing of boys.
Key Theorist - Mitsos and Browne (1998): Gender and Educational Achievement
WHICH OTHER SOCIOLOGIST DO THEY SUPPORT?
- Gorard - conclude that girls are more successful at coursework because they are more conscientious and better organised than boys.
Key Theorist - Mitsos and Browne (1998): Gender and Educational Achievement
WHAT DO THEY CONCLUDE IN TERMS OF GIRLS AT SCHOOL?
They:
1) Spend more time on their work.
2) Take more time with the way that it is presented.
3) Are better at meeting deadlines
4) Bring the right equipment and resources to lessons.
Key Theorist - Mitsos and Browne (1998): Gender and Educational Achievement
WHAT DO THEY CONCLUDE ABOUT THE INCREASE OF ORAL EXAMS?
- They are likely to benefit girls because they generally have better developed language skills.
Key Theorist - Mitsos and Browne (1998): Gender and Educational Achievement
WHAT DO THEY ARGUE?
- These characteristics and skills are as a result of early gender socialisation in the family.
- Girls are more likely to be encouraged to be neat, tidy and patient. These qualities are advantageous to girls in terms of assessment, increasing their achievement levels.
Key Theorist - Mitsos and Browne (1998): Gender and Educational Achievement
HOW CAN THIS THEORY BE EVALUATED?
- Elwood (2005) argues that although coursework as some impact on the achievement gap, it is unlikely to be the cause of the gender gap, because exams have more influence on final grades than coursework.
Key Theorist - Elwood (2005): Gender and Educational Achievement
WHAT DO THEY ARGUE?
- Although coursework has some influence on the achievement gap because exams have more influence on final grades than coursework.
Key Theorists - Jane and Peter French (1993): Gap in Gender Achievement
WHAT DID THEY FIND?
- Boys received more attention because they attracted reprimands.
Key Theorists - Francis (2001): Gender Gap in Achievement
WHAT DID THEY FIND?
- Whilst boys receive more attention, they were also disciplined more harshly and felt picked on by their teachers, who had lower expectations of them.
Key Theorist - Swann (1998): Gender Gap in Achievement
WHAT DID THEY FIND?
- There were gender differences in communication styles.
- Boys dominate in whole class discussion, where as girls prefer group and pair work and are better at listening and cooperating.
- When working in groups, girls speech involves turn taking, and not hostile interrupts that characterise boy’s speech.
Key Theorist - Swann (1998): Gender Gap in Achievement
WHAT TO DO THEY ARGUE?
This may explain why:
- Teachers respond more positively to girls, who they see as cooperative than to boys who they see as potentially disruptive. This may lead to a self fulfilling prophecy, where successful interactions with teachers promote girls self esteem and raise their achievement levels.
Key Theorist - Weiner (1995): Gender Gap in Achievement
WHAT TO DO THEY ARGUE?
- Since the 1980s teachers have challenged such stereotypes.
- In general, sexist images have been removed from learning materials. This may have helped to raise girls’ achievement by presenting them with more positive images of what women can do.
Key Theorist - Jackson (1998): Selection and League Tables
WHAT TO DO THEY ARGUE?
- The introduction of exam league tables has improved opportunities for girls: high achieving girls are attractive to schools, but, low achieving boys are not.
- This tends to create a SFP - because girls are more likely to be recruited by good schools, they are more likely to do well.
Key Theorists - Slee (1998): Selection and League Tables
WHAT TO DO THEY ARGUE?
- Boys are less attractive to schools because they are more likely to suffer from behavioural problems and are four times more likely to be excluded from school.
- Boys are seen as ‘liability students’ - obstacles to schools being able to improve its league table scores.
- Boys give schools a ‘rough, tough’ image that deters high achieving girls from applying.
Key Theorist - Sewell: Feminisation of Education and Male Educational Achievement
WHAT TO DO THEY ARGUE?
- Boys fall behind because education has become feminised.
- Schools don’t nurture ‘masculine’ traits such as competitiveness and leadership.
- Instead, schools celebrate qualities more closely associated with girls such as attentiveness and methodical working.
- Coursework is a major cause of gender differences in achievement.
- Some coursework should be placed with final exams and a greater emphasis should be placed on outdoor adventure in the curriculum.
Key Theorist - Oakley (1973): Gender Differences in Subject Choice
WHAT TO DO THEY ARGUE?
- Gender is socially constructed.
- Each sex is socialised to conform to gender ideals.
Key Theorist - Norman (1998): Gender Differences in Subject Choice
WHAT TO DO THEY ARGUE?
- Being socialised into gender ideals begins at an early age.
- Parents reward boys for being active and girls for being passive.
Key Theorists - Murphy and Elwood (1998): Gender Differences in Subject Choice
WHAT TO DO THEY ARGUE?
Boys read factual books and girls read stories about human emotion and people.
- Boys tend to take science and maths and girls tend to take English and humanities.
