Compare and contrast the educational achievements of girls and boys (across ethnicity and class). How do the curriculum and different ways of teaching influence the performance and behaviour of the genders as well as their job prospects? To what extent might “self-fulfilling prophecy” and “labelling” impact on their experiences of education? (Bartlett and Burton, 2007, p157).
This essay will discuss the differences between the educational achievements of boys and girls. This will be done by critically evaluating factors which may affect imbalanced performance of the genders, exploring ethnicity, social class and the curriculum. Although education within British society is free and compulsory to all, there remains enormous controversy surrounding …show more content…
Until the late 1980’s boys were out performing girls and were more likely to attain three A-levels essential for university admission therefore less girls were entering higher education. Due to these inequalities, there was a raise is concern and research conducted by feminists. Some of the findings suggested that the school curriculum was male dominated. Giddens (2001, p516) states “for a long time there was concern that teachers responded more readily to boys than girls in the classroom, but as girls have forged ahead, worries have moved to underachievement in boys”. This extreme reversal in achievement is reasonable for the focus on ‘underachieving boys’. Willis’(1977) study on ‘the lads’ and Mac an Ghail (1994) study on ‘macho lads’ similarly seek to explain this shift is the process of cultural reproduction; “ Willis’ ‘lads’, the macho lads also associated academic work and achievement as something inferior and effeminate. The students who excelled scholastically were labelled ‘dickhead achievers’. Schoolwork was rejected out of hand as inappropriate for men.” (Giddens 2001, p515). This attitude towards education would therefore hinder boys for striving to achieve higher and undermined …show more content…
Labelling is a theory which looks at the relationship between teacher and student; labelling theory suggests that teachers have different and often disabling expectations on students which in turn they go on to fulfil, the self-fulfilling prophecy argument. A possible justification for such a large gap in percentage achievement is the unsaid expectation that girls will do better; girls are generally labelled as softer, sensible and more organised while boys are labelled as more troublesome and boisterous; therefore it could suggest that boys live up to the label applied. By presuming negative behaviour teachers alienate boys in an attempt at punishing the ‘unwanted’ behaviour whilst praising girls reinforcing the ‘desired’ behaviour creating a greater degree of separation in
This essay will discuss the differences between the educational achievements of boys and girls. This will be done by critically evaluating factors which may affect imbalanced performance of the genders, exploring ethnicity, social class and the curriculum. Although education within British society is free and compulsory to all, there remains enormous controversy surrounding …show more content…
Until the late 1980’s boys were out performing girls and were more likely to attain three A-levels essential for university admission therefore less girls were entering higher education. Due to these inequalities, there was a raise is concern and research conducted by feminists. Some of the findings suggested that the school curriculum was male dominated. Giddens (2001, p516) states “for a long time there was concern that teachers responded more readily to boys than girls in the classroom, but as girls have forged ahead, worries have moved to underachievement in boys”. This extreme reversal in achievement is reasonable for the focus on ‘underachieving boys’. Willis’(1977) study on ‘the lads’ and Mac an Ghail (1994) study on ‘macho lads’ similarly seek to explain this shift is the process of cultural reproduction; “ Willis’ ‘lads’, the macho lads also associated academic work and achievement as something inferior and effeminate. The students who excelled scholastically were labelled ‘dickhead achievers’. Schoolwork was rejected out of hand as inappropriate for men.” (Giddens 2001, p515). This attitude towards education would therefore hinder boys for striving to achieve higher and undermined …show more content…
Labelling is a theory which looks at the relationship between teacher and student; labelling theory suggests that teachers have different and often disabling expectations on students which in turn they go on to fulfil, the self-fulfilling prophecy argument. A possible justification for such a large gap in percentage achievement is the unsaid expectation that girls will do better; girls are generally labelled as softer, sensible and more organised while boys are labelled as more troublesome and boisterous; therefore it could suggest that boys live up to the label applied. By presuming negative behaviour teachers alienate boys in an attempt at punishing the ‘unwanted’ behaviour whilst praising girls reinforcing the ‘desired’ behaviour creating a greater degree of separation in