Internal

• What did Mitos and Brown find?

  That girls do better than boys in coursework as they are more conscientious and better organised
• What did Gorad find?

  He found that the gender gap in achievement increased sharply when GCSE was introduced in 1988
• What were some equal opportunities policies?

  • GIST and WISE programmes encouraged girls into science and technology
  • National Curriculum - girls and boys largely study the same subjects
• what is meant by role models?

  There are more female teachers which feminises the learning environment and encourages girls to see school as part of a ‘female gender domain’
• what did Swann find?

  Swan found that boys dominate class discussions, whereas girls are better at listening and cooperating. Teachers respond more positively to girls and give them more encouragement
• What did French and French suggest?

  They found that teachers paid boys and girls similar amounts of attention for academic reasons, but boys received more attention overall because they were often disciplined more often
• What is said about marketisation policies?

  They have led to increased completion between schools. Therefore schools have the incentive to recruit more able students. Girls are generally more successful than boys, so are more attractive to schools
• What are some internal factors?

  • GCSE and coursework
  • Equal opportunities policy
  • Role models
  • Teacher attention
  • Selection and league tables