Gender and educational achievement

Question 1

Name the 5 internal reasons girls achieve higher in school.

Answer 1

1) In school initiatives and social policies
2) Feminisation of education
3) Pupil teacher interactions
4) Introduction of coursework and GCSEs
5) More female role models

Question 2

Name 5 external factors as to why girls achieve higher in school.

Answer 2

1) Changes in law
2)Changes to the job market
3) Gender socialisation and literacy skills
4) Rise in feminism
5) Female role models

Question 3

Name 5 external reasons boys are achieving lower in school.

Answer 3

1) Gender socialisation
2) Literacy skills
3) Decline in traditional male jobs
4) Crisis of masculinity- Mac an Ghail
5) Lack of male role models

Question 4

Name 5 internal reasons why boys are achieving lower in school.

Answer 4

1) Teacher interactions- Francis
2) Lack of male role models
3) Feminisation of education- Sewell
4) Laddish subcultures
5) Lower expectations and false confidence

Question 5

How has feminism and the law effected girls achievement in school?

Answer 5

• The rise of feminism has given girls higher aspirations as they no longer just want to ‘settle down’
• Changes in law that have made the work place more equal such as the equal pay act encourages woman to work, therefore creating more female role models for girls and giving them more motivation to achieve highly in school to have a good career

Question 6

How does gender socialisation and decline in jobs effect boys achievement in school?

Answer 6

• Since globalisation there has been a decline in inherently masculine jobs, this according to Mac n Ghal has created a crisis in masculinity
• The lack of trad male jobs and crisis of masculinity has led to boys feeling demotivated in school
• Boys are also socialised to adopt a hegemonic masculine personality therefore they dont place value on intellectual tasks therefore their literacy skills are typically worse.

Question 7

What is symbolic Capital? And how does it effect working class girls?

Answer 7

1) Symbolic Capital refers to the status recognition and sense of worth people attain from others
2) W/C girls achieve this through adopting a hyper heterosexual feminine identity where appearance, boyfriends and being loud is more important than school.
• This brings them into conflict with schools leading to symbolic violence as the W/C girls are othered by the education system and labelled as incapable of success.

Question 8

What is the W/C girls dilemma?

Answer 8

• Either gaining symbolic capital by conforming to hyper heterosexual feminine identities
• Or gaining educational capital by rejecting their W/C identities and conforming to the schools M/C notions.

Question 9

Explain how internal factors effect boys educational achievement.

Answer 9

1) Feminisation of education means it’s leading characteristics are associated with girls such as coursework, boys are less likely to seek assistance therefore do worse.
2) Teacher interactions- boys dominate teacher time usually though it is negative.