Gender Inequities in the Classroom
From WikEd
[edit] Descriptions, definitions, synonyms, organizer terms, types of
Gender inequities can be described as unfair treatment of students based on thier sex. Historically it has been characterized by male students receiving more attention and praise sometimes resulting in male students getting more academic help from their teachers. Gender inequities are motivated by an underlying belief that boys and girls differ in mental/intellectual abilities (Streitmatter, 1994). More recently trends show girls surpassing boys in academic excellence.
- "In fact, some experts say, mounting evidence suggests that boys are far less suited than girls to succeed in the academic environment. Those researchers point, for example, to boys' lower scores on the language arts sections of standardized tests, to their out-of-proportion placement in special education classes, and to the number of times boys are disciplined compared with girls." (Galley, 2002)
- "The statistics show, in fact, that, apart from physics, enrollment gaps between girls and boys in advanced math and science courses are variable and slight--especially when compared with the much greater academic disparities separating white and black students." (Viadero, 1998)
- "Although boys and girls differ in their physical, emotional and intellectual development, there is no evidence that these are linked. Therefore, it is unlikely that education performance is explained by biological differences. If biology were the reason, girls would not have improved significantly in certain subjects, of which boys used to outperform girls traditionally, such as math and science, in the past two decades. Social and cultural factors are the major reasons leading to gender differences in academic performance. These factors include students' familiarity with the subject, changes of career aspiration, gendered perceptions of specific subject, presentational styles of boys and girls, and teachers' expectation. Unlike biology, the social and cultural factors are changeable by modifying the context of education." (Gallagher, 2001)
Equity refers to fairness, sameness as in the opportunity to learn. (NCREL, 2004)
To see related philosophies, go Social Constructionism and Postmodernism.
Reasons for Such Inequities
- Gender Stereotypes
Members of our society carry stereotypes with regards to what is considered appropriate behavior for boys and girls (Gibbs, 2001). Boys are expected to be more agressive and agressive behavior is encouraged in academic settings.
- Female Socialization
Girls are generally encouraged to be more passive. Consequently, they do not participate in class with as much ease and confidence as many of their male peers.
- Teacher Lack Awareness of the Issue
While most teacher education programs provide training on diversity, learning disabilities, discipline, etc, they do not provide an instruction that addresses gender issues in the classroom (Sanders, 2003)
[edit] Application in classrooms and similar settings
Effects on Girls
- Statistically, females consistently score lower on the mathematics portions of many standardized tests, such as the SAT/ACT. This puts them at a disadvantage is they wish to be admitted into college programs in math, science, or engineering.
- Girls are less likely to pursue careers in math, engineering, and physical sciences. In fact 9 boys took the AP exam in computer science for every 1 girl in 2002 (Sanders, 2003).
- Women make up only 18% of the U.S. Senate, 13% of U.S House of Rep., and 11% of the board of directors of “Fortune 500�? companies (Sanders, 2003)
Effects on Boys
- The average 11th grade boy writes at the same level as the average 8th grade girl (Sanders, 2003)
- While boys score higher on standardized tests, girls actually earn higher grades in all disciplines (Leo, 1999)
- Boys in single-sex schools are more than twice as likely to study the arts, foreign languages, music and drama than boys who attend co-ed schools (NASSPE)
- Girls predominate in advanced English courses and in foreign-language and arts classes. (Viadero, 1998)
- In middle and elementary school, girls outscore boys by wide margins on NAEP tests in reading and writing. (Viadero, 1998)
-Note: While there might not be a direct causal relationship between classroom inequities and the aforementioned facts, but they do reflect a greater societal problem.
Lessons and Guidelines for Teachers: Avoiding Sexism in Teaching (Woolfolk, 1995, p. 178)
Check to see if textbooks and other materials you are using present an honest view of the options open to both males and females.
(Examples) 1. Are both males and females portrayed in traditional and nontraditional roles at work, at leisure, and at home? 2. Discuss your analyses with students, and ask them to help you find sex role biases in other materials-magazine advertising, TV programs, news reporting, for example.
Watch for any unintended biases in your own classroom practices.
(Examples) 1. Do you goup students by sex for certain activities? Is the grouping appropriate? 2. Do you call on one sex or the other for certain answers-boys for math and girls for peotry, for example?
Look for ways in which your school mey be limiting the options open to male or female students.
(Examples) 1. What advice is given by guidance counselors to students in course and career decisions? 2. Is there a good sports program for both girls and boys?
Use gender-free language as much as possible.
(Examples) 1. Do you speak of "law-enforcement officer" and "mail carrier" instead of "policeman" and "mailman"? 2. Do you name a committee "head" instead of a "chairman"?
[edit] Attempts to correct these problems
Gender Equity Act of 1995
- created the Office of Gender Equity in the Department of Education improved data gathering about gender equity
- created teacher training programs
- created programs that encourage females to pursue math and science
- created programs for girls of color
Gender Equity in the Classroom
Single-sex school systems
- Boys and girls educated in single sex environments are more likely to explore a wider range of careers / study more subjects
- Both boys and girls become more diverse role models of their own sex
- Research shows that boys and girls actually learn differently. Keeping boys and girls in separate classrooms allows the teacher to design lessons that are more responsive to the students' needs.
Incorporating gender issues as a component of teacher education programs
- Teacher education would make instructors more aware of these issues
- Give teachers the means to eliminate injustices in their classrooms
North Central Regional Educaitonal Laboratory (NCREL) Ensuring Equity and Excellence in Mathematics.
[edit] Evidence of effectiveness
"Girls have made some strides in schools over the past six years. The numbers of girls enrolled in algebra, trigonometry, precalculus, and calculus, for example, grew at a faster rate than boys' enrollment did between 1990 and 1994. More girls are taking Advanced Placement and honors calculus and chemistry classes." (Viadero, 1998) And, in the latest rounds of international tests in math and science, the achievement gap between girls and boys in the United States was among the smallest in the world. (Viadero, 1998)
The study by the American Association of University Women, Gender Gaps: Where Schools Still Fail Our Children other findings include:
- Even though similar numbers of high school boys and girls are taking math and science classes, boys still far outnumber girls in physics.
- In school-to-work programs, which combine challenging academics with vocational training, girls still tend to cluster in traditional female occupations.
- Although girls are taking more Advanced Placement courses and getting better grades than boys, their scores on those exams still tend to be lower.
- On large-scale exams, such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the top scorers in math and science still tend to be boys.
- (Viadero, 1998)
When examining language arts scores, gender gaps exist on state wide, national and international basises with girls consistently outperforming boys.
State of Illinois Results: When examining the 8th grade results, 68% of the girls “meet�? or “exceed state standards with 58.7 % of the boys in the same category. When looking at the “exceeds standards�? measure, female students show a 5.1% point advantage over boys (Illinois State Board of Education Report Card http://206.230.157.60/publicsite/getSearchCriteria.aspx accessed 11/12/04).
National Studies: The 2002 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) indicated a gender gap favoring females at both the 4th and 8th grade levels. 60% of the 4th grade boys are at or above basic performance levels compared to 67% of the girls. Girls show an advantage of 7 percentage points at the “proficient�? measure. 71% of the 8th grade boys are at or above basic performance levels compared to 80% of the girls. Girls show an advantage of 10 percentage points at the “proficient�? measure (Source: NCES The Nations Report Card: Reading 2002).
International Studies: The Progress in Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) is an assessment of reading comprehension conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). Surveying 4th grade students in 35 countries results found that girls score higher than boys on the combined literacy scale. The US results was a variance of 18 points with the international range 8-27 points difference favoring girls over boys (International Comparisons in 4th Grade Reading Literacy, April 2003, http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/2003073.pdf accessed 11/14/04).
The 2000 Program for International Student Assessment of 15-year-olds in Reading Mathematics and Science Literacy included students from 32 countries and found that females outperformed males in every country on the combined reading literacy scale (Outcomes of Learning: Results from the 2000 Program for International Student Assessment of 15-year-olds in Reading, Mathematics and Science Literacy, December 2001, http://nces.ed/gov/pubs2002/2002115.pdf accessed 11/14/04).
[edit] Critics and their rationale
"The latest AAUW [American Association of University Women] report concludes, however, that single-sex education is not necessarily better than coeducation. What matters, the report says, is small classes and schools, unbiased teaching, and a focused curriculum." (Reinhard, 1998)
" "The AAUW is still whining and calling girls victims, when girls for the most part do far better in schools than boys," said Judith S. Kleinman, a psychology professor from the University of Alaska Fairbanks who wrote a critique of the first report." (Viadero, 1998)
[edit] Alternative explanations due to Diversity considerations
It makes sense to me that girls would outperform boys in language arts and foreign language, females are more linguistic than males. Is it possible that we've seen gains in mathematics for girls because educators have been addressing the disparity of males vs. girls studying mathematics? Knowing that boys and girls each have their own strengths, should we be so concerned that boys and girls are not equally achieving in all areas? Should we focus on girls' abilities in P.E.? I'm pretty sure girls are physically weaker than boys. J. Adams
[edit] Signed ‿life experiences‿, testimonies and stories
Living on the south side of Chicago, where single-sex high school education is still prevalent, I’ve had the opportunity to experience and witness first-hand its benefits. Both myself and my 19-year old daughter attended Mother McAuley High School, the largest all-female high school in the country. It was a positive experience for both of us. Young women gain confidence and have more leadership opportunities than they would at a coed high school, and seem to be more open-minded in career selection. Further, McAuley capitalizes on the fact that girls learn differently than boys, and benefit from teaching strategies that focus on collaboration and teamwork. Students attending single-gender schools outperform students attending coed schools, and “…girls in single-gender schools outperform not only girls at coed schools, but also outperform boys at both single-gender and coed schools‿ (Mother McAuley High School). -- Pat Reed
I'd like to recommend the book The Boys and Girls Learn Differently: An Action Guide for Teachers by Michael Gurian and Arlette C. Ballew (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003.) This work describes inherent differences between boy’s and girls’ brains and the implications that this holds for teaching and learning. The scope is broad, covering pre-school through high school; however, it provides the needed springboard for discussion of gender issues. I have found it to be a useful "quick reference" in addressing gender related classroom issues. -- Linda Diekman
Having noted the discrepancies in language arts achievment between boys and girls, I wanted to share with you the following book by Michael W. Smith, and Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Reading Don’t Fix No Chevys (Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2002). The anecdotal evidence on reading and academic achievement given by the boys in this study supplies food for thought and implications for the classroom. -- Linda Diekman
I attended and taught at Mother McAuley High School (see below reference) and have heard Dr. JoAnn Deak, Ph.D. speak on single-gendered school systems. Most importantly, teachers and administrators must remember that males and females learn differently. Physiologically, male and female brains may look the same (eventually - see following paragraph), but psychologically, both brains learn differently. Furthermore, learning styles needed to be considered in that students, male or female, are visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners, which means that on top of the brain difference in learning, teaching styles need to be adapt as well to better teach students. - K. Mattis
In 1996 a study of 17-year-old male and 11-year-old female showed that both had similar brain structure; however, the only reason why the brains were considered structurally different was because the ages of the brains were different. - K. Mattis
I entered my undergraduate training at Illinois State University as a Chemistry major. I decided to switch to education towards the end of my sophmore year because I realized what a gifted teacher I was after spending an afternoon tutoring my younger sister in science. At the time, gender inequities in education never crossed my mind. Looking back, I can recognize that being the only woman in many of my labs may have made me subconciously uncomfortable, but I still doubt that it had much to do with changing my degree. Being the only woman in my lab probably had more influence on my choice of wardrobe and makeup than on anything else. -S. Borkgren
I am a male teacher, so I feel that I have experienced gender inequities at the teaching level. I have often laughed at how many female teachers have approached me to random things (ie. "my car won't start")- and of course I help reinforce the stereotype by helping with the "male-oriented" task. Seriously, I do not believe there is any innate inequities between the sexes, but society heavily influences perceptions, and those perceptions can heavily influence the development of the student, which causes the stereotypes to become a self-fulfilling prophecy, able to be supported by data. -S. Yunker
[edit] References and other links of interest
Links
Gathering Web Evidence to Think About Education>Issues in Education> Gender Equity
Scrimgeour, Ron. Spring 1993. Gender Bias in the Classroom? http://www.scre.ac.uk/rie/nl52/nl52scrimgeour.html
References
Gallagher, Tony. (30 Nov 2001) Equal Opportunities Commission Conference on Boys and Girls in the 21st Century: Gender Differences in Learning. Retrieved February 21, 2005 from http://www.eoc.org.hk/TE/edu/gendiff
Gender Equity in the Classroom. [1](22 Nov 2004).
Gibbs, J. 2001. Tribes: A New way of Learning and Being Together. CenterSource Systems: Windsor, CA
Leo, J. 1999. Gender wars redux. U.S. News & World Report. Vol. 126: 24
Mother McAuley High School: Why All Girls? http://www.mothermcauley.k12.il.us/pages/girls_why.html (2004).
National Association for Single Sex Public Education. [2] (22 Nov 2004)
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. (2004) Pathways to School Improvement. Retrieved February 21, 2005 from http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs
Reinhard, Beth. (18 March 1998). Report Casts Doubt on the Value of Single-Sex Schooling. Education Week. Retrieved February 14, 2005 from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/1998/03/18/27aauw.h17.html?querystring=doubt%20singe%20sex%20education
Sanders, J. Teaching Gender Equity in Teacher Education. Education Digest. Vol. 68: 25-29
Streitmatter, J. 1994. Toward Gender Equity in the Classroom: Everyday Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices. State University of New York Press: New York, 17 pp.
Viadero, Debra. (14 Oct 1998). AAUW Study Finds Girls Making Some Progress, But Gaps Remain. Education Week. Retrieved February 14, 2005 from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/1998/10/14/07gender.h18.html?querystring=gender%20inequities
Woolfolk, A. E. (1995). Educational Psychology (6th ed.). Allyn and Bacon.
[edit] Gender Differences Power Point - Created by K. Mattis
Comprehension Boys and Girls: What’s the Difference? How Do We Learn? Learning Requires 2 Things: 1. Process of discovery 2. Mastery of the discovery
Adults help children discover = GUIDED DISCOVERY Guided Discovery Children naturally create images + Adults help foster these images = 1. Make predictions 2. Formulate Explanations 3. Imagine Alternatives 4. Design Plans
Children learn best through: EXPLORATION and INTERACTION Barbara Rogoff - UCSC Studied poor Guatemalan Indian children - Children mastered skills by mimicking (interacting with expert adults in village) 1. Children observed action 2. Children explored observation 3. Children received “detailed corrective feedback about their efforts�?
Children learn to solve new problems through GUIDED DISCOVERY
Routinized Learning Process of taking prior knowledge and making it second nature, or routine - Ability “to perform skill effortlessly and quickly�? - Knowledge becomes engrained and automatic - Perfecting mindless procedures Frees attention and thought for new discoveries Becomes more difficult with age
Reading + Writing = Unnatural Skills Mastering these skills are “absolutely necessary, allowing us to exercise our abilities for discovery in a wider world�?
Males and Females adapt these skills differently = GD and RL need to be adapted to best fit the learning abilities of each gender!
Teaching Styles:�Learn by Doing MALES Productive outlet for restless energy Decreases passive listening Decreases need for punishment or possibly medication
FEMALES Inspire confidence Increase excitement about learning Decreases passive listening
Dr. JoAnn Deak, Ph.D.�All about the Girls Dr. Deak - “Ohio feminist with A-list credentials, a female psychologist specializing in girls’ empowerment�?
“Girls and boys are as different from the neck up as they are from the neck down�? - Deak “I’ve come to believe that the brain is the most genderized part of the body�? - Deak
Irrational and emotional-ruled antics = logical outcomes of brain functioning according to Deak
Dr. Leonard Sax �All about the Boys Maryland pediatrician “whose articles have been published in leading academic journals and who is a known champion of advancing boys in school�?
Gender differences are not necessarily socially constructed - Sax
Could it be more of what is expected of each gender that is the misconception of social constructivism?
Brain Maps Structural Differences - Amygdala (emotional activity), Hippocampus (cognitive road map), Cerebellum
1996 study of 17-year-old male and 11-year-old female - similar brain structure - Considered structurally different in that the ages of the brains were different
Blame it on the Brain MALES Retain emotions in amygdala and are pre-wired to use hippocampus (cognitive road map) Cerebral Cortex (most advanced section of brain, which allows explanation of feelings) - smaller cells and fewer inputs
FEMALES As teens, amygdala activity has moved to the cerebral cortex Cerebral Cortex - larger cells and more inputs Sense of smell - 200-1,000 times better 2x as sensitive to touch Hear 2-4x better Find it almost impossible to tune out extraneous noise
Blame it on the Cortex �Definition: Critical Thinking; Produces connection-making chemical oxytocin MALE Selects side of brain to respond depending on the task Built to streamline Go right to what has to be done Hard-wired qualities: action, directness, loudness
FEMALE Think in more detail Both sides of brain are wired to respond no matter what the task Programmed to multi-task Built to massively connect and communicate
Cortex in terms of Comprehension FEMALES If the amygdala section of the brain kicks in, it increases response to intense emotions such as fear, depression or shame. The cortex shuts down = no critical thinking occurring. Rationalizing with a female whose amygdala is sky high is pointless - “trying to reason by talking to the cortex and nobody’s there�?
MALES Similar experience, though not as intense. Why? Amygdala is more developed at a younger age in females and are more responsive to key emotions as fear
Cerebral Cortex In Progress �Challenge: Here’s the cliff. Go jump. MALES Amygdala lights up immediately. Response: “Ooooh, sweet�? The boy jumps.
FEMALES Cerebral Cortex lights up immediately = intellectual reaction Response: “It’s 100 feet down. I could get hurt. I might die. I might not die, but be paralyzed forever…�?
Science-Based Differences �Deak + Sax BOTH use gendered brain maps to scientifically prove that males and females not only learn differently, but also need to be taught differently
Bridged the gap between scientific findings and pragmatic needs of educators
Cleverly mix a little science with practicality
Future Possibilities? Sax suggests: “Boys should be held back a year before starting kindergarten because of charted difference in brain development between boys and girls�?
Deak predicts: “In five years, the families that are coming to your schools will take their children in for brain scans and bring them in to you…so you’d better be able to show parents how you’re incorporating all this brain science into your teaching�?
Solutions/Suggestions 3 Essential Guidelines for the future study of gender differences: 1. A broader range of tests must be studied 2. Take into consideration population variations 3. Use a large, reliable, and representative sample of data.
Things to Remember Must remember that gender difference on test performance is not equivalent to a test bias Tests are biased only when people with the same ability end up with different test scores Gender difference based on test performance should be seen as a pure effort to reveal cognitive ability differences between the genders.
Chen’s Suggestion WISC-III Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Ages 6-17 Battery of tests evaluating intelligence abilities on 2 scales: Verbal and Performance Explores the magnitude of gender differences on all WISC-III cognitive abilities Uncovers developmental gender difference patterns on the WISC-III composite and subtest scores
Critics Among Us At-risk Students Study shows that once a student is considered @ risk, there are no signs of gender comprehension abilities “Gender was investigated with a profile analysis of gender by grade level gain in reading. There were no statistically significant effects for gender or for the interaction of gender with reading gains.�? L2 (second language) Readers - Literature on gender differences in L2 reading performance is relatively scarce, and it’s findings are not consistent
For example… Studies Proving Both Sides
MALES Boyle (1987) - Chinese university males scored higher on listening vocabulary Scarcella and Zimmerman (1998) - performed better on specific vocabulary tests Bugel and Buunk (1996) - performed better in a reading test composed of a gender-neutral passage
FEMALES Gardner and Lambert (1972) - outperform males in French vocabulary Boyle (1987) - Chinese university females (EFL) scored higher overall in language proficiency test Wen and Johnson (1997) - performed higher on standardized national proficiency test Chavez (2000) - scored higher in a multiple-choice reading test
References Chen, H-Y. (2000). Gender Difference in Cognitive Abilities: Trends from Age 6 to Age 16 Based on WISC-III Standardization Data for Taiwan. Proc. Natl. Sci. Counc. ROC ©. 10(2). 201-216.
Gopnik, A. (January 16, 2005). How We Learn. The New York Times.
Leal, D., Johanson, G., Toth, A., & Huang, C-C. (2004). Increasing At-Risk Students’ Literacy Skills: Fostering Success for children and Their Preservice Reading Endorsement Tutors. Reading Improvement. 41(2). 75-96.
Owens, A.M. (May 10, 2003). Boys’ Brains are from Mars. National Post.
Owens, A.M. (January 7, 2004). Brain Research Cited in Defence of Girls’ Schools: Boys Blamed for Cortex Shutdown. National Post.
Phakiti, A. (2003). A Closer Look at Gender and Strategy Use in L2 Reading. Language Learning. 53(4). 649-702.
Ransome, W. & Moulton, M.M. What About the Boys? Retrieved February 13, 2005 from http://www.ncgs.org/type0.php?pid=29
