Gender & Education

• Do better than boys in language.
• Do better at their GCSEs.
• Are more likely to get higher scores even at A levels.
• Do better than boys at every stage in National Curriculum tests.

• Boys prefer to take more practical subjects, e.g. maths, ICT, science.
• Girls prefer taking subjects such as English, history, sociology, foreign languages.

External factors that affect educational achievement include:

• Legal changes.
• Feminism.
• Socialisation.

• Employment opportunities for women. This has aspired girls to work hard to get to top jobs that weren’t previously offered to them.
• The National Curriculum was another legal change that was introduced by the 1988 Education Reform Act which made maths and science compulsory to boys and girls up to 16.

• Changing expectations/improved self-esteem.
• Nowadays women have aspirations beyond being a housewife and a caregiver as feminism has helped them realise and fight for their rights.

• Parents tend to socialise their children differently by giving them different toys.
• Girls usually play with toys that develop their language and communication skills whereas boys tend to be outside, being active.
• However, the school environment promotes speaking and writing rather than being active.

• Outline the aim of the research.
• What research method will be used? What are the pros and cons of it?
• Give reasons for picking this particular research method.

• Explain why open or closed questions are used.
• What is the method of conduct of the research? E.g. postal questionnaires? Face-to-face interviews?
• Identify the target population.

• Select a sampling technique that will produce a representative sample.
• How big will the sample be?
• What are the ethical considerations and how are they going to be overcome?

• Conduct a pilot study to identify possible mistakes and correct them.
• Summarise the findings.
• Write a paragraph explaining whether the findings support the research.

• Were there any difficulties while conducting the research?
• If so, how could they be eliminated for next time?

• The hidden curriculum refers to the norms and values taught to pupils at school through informal learning.
• This may reinforce gender roles.

• Teachers have higher expectations from girls nowadays.
• There is a ‘feminisation of education’ where boys might even feel intimidated as they are being raised in an environment that specifically encourages girls.
• There are more female than male teachers, especially in primary schools, which means that boys don’t have male role models to look up to.

• Teachers are prone to follow the stereotypes that are set in society.
• For example, boys are loud and disobedient in comparison to girls who are obedient and have bedroom subculture (which is staying in and studying with their peers).

• Boys often try to achieve status through anti-school subcultures where being laddish is perceived as cool and being studious is seen as girly.
• Some boys prefer to be seen as macho, so they deviate from school norms which promote studying and listening to teachers.
• In contrast, girls are often taught to respect and obey authority (teachers) from a very young age, which is why they are seen in a positive light by teachers.