Gender internal

• equal opportunity policies


  feminism led to educational equality between genders becoming a mainstream thinking
• how does the introducing of the national curriculum have an impact of gender achievement?

  1988

  • removed a source of gender inequality by making boys and girls study the same subject.
  • removal of barriers mean school is more meritocratic - girls work harder than boys and so they achieve more.
• how does educational policies such as GIST and WISE encourage girls to pursue non traditional careers?

  girls into science and technology.

  women in science & engineering.

  • female scientists may visit and act as role models
  • non sexists career advice in schools
• what are the consequences of equal opportunities policies?

  Increased diversity and inclusion.

  • achieved so much is has contributed to the crisis of masculinity
• how does a percentage increase of female teachers/ headteachers have an impact upon girls' educational achievement?

  act as positive role models as becoming a teacher the individual must undertake a lengthy and successful education themselves.
• what do sociologists believe about the way students are assessed?

  it favours girls and disadvantages boys
• how does the way students are assessed favour girls?

  (Mitosis & Browne)girls are more successful in coursework.

  • more conscientious
  • better at meeting deadlines
  • bring the right equipment/ material to lessons (organised)
• What are Gorad's thoughts on how gender achievement is affected by the way students are assessed?

  gender gap widened in 1989 when GCSEs and coursework were introduced.
• what are the effects of oral exams on gender achievement?

  GCSEs have caused more oral exams which girls benefit from more than boys.

  • girls have better developed language skills.
• where do these characteristics that girls have that are an advantage in education come from according to sociologists?

  early gender role socialisation, where family encourage them to be neat, tidy and patient.
• what does Elwood argue about the cause of the gender achievement gap?

  argues coursework is unlikely to the be cause

  • exams have more influence on final grades than coursework does.
• Teachers in the classroom interacts differently with boys an girls.
• What did French's classroom study (1993) find about the type of attention boys were receiving?


  received negative attention eg received more reprimands.

  • they were getting more focus but in the form of discipline, not positive reinforcement.
• French's classroom study suggests boys received more negative attention. how does this affect their educational achievement?

  constant reprimands can make boys feel demoralised and disengaged in learning.

  • might start to believe they are 'bad' students ( self fulfilling prophecy).
  • this leads to them putting in less effort.
• what did Francis's (2001) study find about how teachers treated boys in classrooms?

  boys were disciplined more harshly than girls

  • this could be due to teachers having low expectations of them = teachers might think they need stricter control to succeed.
• Francis's study in 2001 found that boys are disciplined more harshly. How would this affect educational achievement for boys?

  the fear of punishment can hinder their willingness to participate or ask questions when confused.

  • might feel misunderstood as they think their efforts are not valued or recognised.
  • lead to disengagement in class.
• what did Swan observe (1998) that was different between the genders?

  communication styles

  • boys dominate class discussions
  • girls prefer collaborative learning environments (pair/group work)
  • girls take turns in speaking
  • boys' speech has hostile interruptions.
• How does Swans's study on different communication styles between genders help explain about the educational achievement gender gap?

  Teachers perceive girls as more cooperative and boys as disruptive.

  • when teachers favour collaborative learning, boys might participate less.
  • leads to fewer opportunities to showcase their knowledge and develop critical thinking skills through classroom discussions.
• sociologists argue that removing gender stereotypes from textbooks and other learning materials over the years has removed a barrier to girls' achievement.
• how were women portrayed in learning materials and textbooks in the 70s/80s?

  • portrayed women as housewives and mothers.
  • physics textbooks showing females being frightened by science.
  • maths books showing boys to be more inventive.
• what is Weiner's opinion on challenging stereotypes in the curriculum?

  teachers have challenged these stereotypes.

  • sexists images have been taking out of learning material.
• what does the removal of sexist imagery from learning materials result in?

  raises girls achievements by showing them more positive images of what women can do.