Inside Gender Difference In Educational Attainment

Question 1

Inside
Female centred - policies changing the education system
Education reform act 1988

Answer 1

Introduction of coursework - abolition of 11+ and introduction of national curriculum.
Boys and girls were entitled to the same education.
Introduction of more coursework advantaged girls as they are more methodological and organised

Question 2

Inside
Female centred - policies changing the education system
GIST and WISE

Answer 2

Teacher training from the 1970’s has changed.
Exam questions, textbooks and classroom language has changed to include and recognise girls so that girls now see education as an institution for them

Question 3

Inside
Female centred - work ethic in school
Burns and bracey

Answer 3

Girls put mor3e effort into homework and unlike boys are prepared to draft and redraft assignments.
Girls mature earlier than boys.
Was seen in the past that boys would use secondary school to catch up but that is no longer the case.
Girls work harder and are more motivated than boys

Question 4

Inside
Male centered - labelling
Epstein

Answer 4

Two explanations for male underachievement -
Poor boys discourse - boys are seen as victims , feminism has gone too far
Boys will be boys discourse - teachers claim boys have natural inclination to be boys

Question 5

Inside
Male centred - labelling
Francis and Skelton

Answer 5

Two further discourses
- problem boys discourse - boys were seen as problems by the teachers, they developed anti learning behaviours
- at risk boys discourse - boys are vulnerable, they are socially excluded and disconnected from wider society.

Question 6

Inside
Male centred - anti school subcultures
Willis

Answer 6

Ik this

Question 7

Inside
Male centred - anti school subcultures
Sewell

Answer 7

Ik this

Question 8

Inside
Male centred- anti school subcultures
Frosh et al

Answer 8

Studied boys attitudes to learning and found they felt risk of being labelled as ‘gay’ by male peers for working hard.
Boys assert their ‘normal’ masculinity through heterosexuality.
As a result boys may underachieve in education to conform to peers

Question 9

Inside
Male centred - anti school subcultures
Jackson

Answer 9

Boys are asserting laddish identities as a way of developing their masculinity.
This emphasises the idea that working hard is not masculine.
Boys are also more confident about their ability which may make them feel like they do not have to work harcd..