Gender differences in Education

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  • Created by: Kathryn
  • Created on: 21-04-13 16:54
What evidence is there that girls are achieving more than boys?
1) QCA study = 62% girls -concentrate without supervision for 10 mins - Only 49% boys. 2) DFES (2007) 70% students -special education needs - boys. 3) GCSE - girls 10% more 4) A Level: 2% more passes 5) Vocational: Girls better in every subject
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What are the 2 main groups of explanation?
1) External Factors - Factors in families & society 2) Internal factors - Factors within schools
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What are the four main external factors?
1) Impact of feminism 2) Changes in the family 3) Changes in women's employment 4) Girl's changing perceptions and ambitions.
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Who is the main theorist for Feminism and what's the year she carried out the study? State the study and findings.
Angela McRobbie (1994) Study: looked at girls magazines in 1970's and 1990's. Findings: 70s magazine = talked about importance of being married and in love. 90's magazines = showed assertive, independent career women.
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What are the main changes in the family?
1) more divorces 2) Increase in co-habitation 3) Increase of lone parent families 4) smaller families
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What effect do the main changes in the family have?
1) More female lone parents give a positive image for girls. 2) Due to so many divorces --> girls seek to have their own career's and be financially independent.
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What are the main changes to women's employment?
1) 1970 Equal Pay act. 2) Traditional men's jobs --> declined. 3) since 1975 pay gap has HALVED 4) Margaret Prosser (2006): Many changes in womens employment - now working and training.
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What is the main study for girls changing ambitions?
Sue Sharpe (1994) Study: Interviewed girls in the 70's and 90's. Findings: 1974 = Girls had: low aspirations, ambition and intelligence seen as unattractive. Priorities were love then career last. 90's = Careers now most important.
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What are the 6 internal factors influencing girls and boys achievement?
1) Equal opportunities policies 2) GCSE and C/WK 3) Positive role models in school 4) Teacher attention and classroom interaction 5) Challenging stereotypes 6) Selection and league tables.
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What are some Government policies to promote equality?
GIST - Girls into science and technology. Non-sexist career advice. Introduction of national curriculum and GCSE's in 1988.
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How have female role models helped?
+ female head teachers and teachers. Primary schools ---> nearly all female staff.
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Why could having a lot of female staff cause boys to underachieve?
Feminising education - makes school seem like girls gender domain.
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What is the main study in terms of GCSE's and C/WK ?
Mitsos & Browne (1998) - Found girls are harder working and conscientious so C/WK benefits them. Girls mature earlier - oral exams benefit them as girls have better linguistic skills.
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What is the counter study to Mitsos & Browne's?
Elwood (2005) - C/WK = small impact on girls succes - exams have a much bigger influence on grades.
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What do many sociologists argue about teacher attention in the classroom?
The ways teacher's interact with boys and girls is different.
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What's the evidence for teacher attention benefiting girls' achievement?
Francis (2001) - More time spent with boys. However, boys: disciplined more harshly, felt picked on and have lower expectations.
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How has challenging stereotypes in the curriculum helped girls?
Removal of gender stereotypes from textbooks, reading schemes.
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What's the evidence for the change in gender stereotypes?
In the 70's and 80's portrayed as housewives and mothers - now equal to boys in education.
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How has selection and league tables helped girls' achievement?
Marketisation of schools have created a climate where girls are desirable as they achieve more than boys.
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What is the evidence for marketisation helping girls?
David Jckson (1998) - High achieving girls are preffered rather than 'distruptive' boys
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What are liberal and radical feminists' views of whether these changes are as important as we think?
Liberal Feminists YES - Great progress has been made. Radical Feminists NO - Yes girls aredoing better but patriarchy still exists. Evidence: Sexual harassment of girls continues,male teachers still dominate,subjects are women free zones(Weiner,1993)
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What are the main 5 factors that influence boy underachievement?
1) Boys poor literacy 2) Decline in 'male jobs' 3) Feminisation of education 4) Shortage of male primary school teachers 5) Laddish subcultures
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Evidence for boys' poorer literacy?
DCSF (2007) Parents read less to sons and mothers usually read so it's seen as a feminist activity. Boys hobbies do little to improve language.
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What has the decline in male jobs led too?
Mitsos & Browne - Identity crisis for men - undermines boys self-esteem and motivation. However little effect as traditional jobs didn't require qualifications anyway.
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What's the evidence for the feminisation of education?
Sewell (2006) - Education being feminised - schools don't promote masculine traits such as competitiveness.
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Evidence for lack males in children's lives?
Home = 1.5 million boys raised by only their mothers. School - 40% of 8-11 year old boys have no lessons with a male teacher.
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Does this have a big effect?
NO. Virtually no effect. Becky Francis (2006) 2/3 of 8 year olds don't think the gender of a teacher matters.
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What is the evidence for the growth of laddish subcultures contributing to underachievement?
Epstein (1998) - W/C boys called 'gay' and 'sissy' by other boys if they worked hard and rejected cs/wk so as to not be called 'gay'.
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What policies have there been to raise boys' achievement?
Reading Champions - male role models to get boys into reading.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What are the 2 main groups of explanation?

Back

1) External Factors - Factors in families & society 2) Internal factors - Factors within schools

Card 3

Front

What are the four main external factors?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

Who is the main theorist for Feminism and what's the year she carried out the study? State the study and findings.

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What are the main changes in the family?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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