Gender Equity

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Question Gender in Education

"There is an extensive body of evidence that suggests that boys and girls behave differently and that teachers expect different behaviours (Good and Brophy, 000). In what specific ways can teachers use this research to inform and improve their teaching of boys and girls in inclusive classrooms?"

Gender equity is an enormous problem within all aspects of today's society. Beliefs and trends towards gender bias are rapidly worsening and this is highly noticeable in primary school classrooms. Every student is affected by what teacher's say, do and how they treat them, within a classroom. Teachers treat both boys and girls differently in a number of ways, ranging from behaviour, school work, and in some cases, grades. The way a teacher interacts with students, in regards to gender, can be highly damaging to the amount a student achieves or is willing to achieve, especially when this interaction is inequitable. Although this bias may be unintentional, it still exists. Through research, teachers can be informed of the differences in interaction and can look at changing the way they treat their students.Help with essay on Gender Equity

In examining the resources acquired in regards to the question, it seems they focus on five main points. The first is the way teachers treat boys and girls differently in a number of learning contexts, secondly is the kind of research that is being done to treat problems of equity, and the third point involves exploring what teachers' views are on gender. I will also discuss the relative differences in male and female teacher exposure for children and the steps that are being addressed to improve gender equity within schools. Within this essay I will endeavour to discuss what researches have found and how these five points discussed above are being reflected in the classroom.

Within the school classroom, both boys and girls are treated differently in a number of learning environments. Boys tend to interact more with the teacher on a day-to-day basis, not because the teacher is looking to, but more because the teacher is either

not aware of the greater interaction with male students, or

they are given no other choice.

This occurs because some boys tend to "throw their weight around" (McInerney & McInerney 00), which can often intimidate girls within the classroom, and even other boys. Gender, it seems, affects the "quantity and quality" of classroom interaction patterns between students and teachers (Good & Brophy 184). Boys are often noticed more through "interactions with teachers" and can be "reprimanded more" (McInerney & McInerney 00) thereby they may receive more attention than girls. It has also been found that communication between male students and teachers is greater for "disciplinary experiences" and less so for "instructional messages" (Good & Brophy 1848). Male students tend to frequently be in contact with teachers for behavioural issues and thus, girls and even other male students, are being unfairly disadvantaged in relation to how much interaction time they have with the teacher. Society has also instilled in students the belief that males have to behave in a particular way, and that females have to behave in another. For this reason, many researchers believe that students have been cultured to "value different activities and form different competence beliefs (self-concept) for particular activities" (McInerney & McInerney 00). Due to these gender role stereotypes, researchers assume that these beliefs can somehow influence the amount each student achieves in regards to their learning. Within certain Key Learning Areas (KLAs), in particular Mathematics and Science, male students tend to do far better than female students. Researchers believe that teachers may actually treat boys and girls differently in both Mathematics and Science Lessons (Reys et al. 0011). For example, teachers may

1) ask male students more often for answers in mathematics classes

) be less likely to prompt females who give incorrect answers

) be less likely to praise female students.

(Reys et al. 0011)

Also, work done in mathematics lessons tends to favour boys. In exams

1) boys gamble on answers more easily

) multiple choice tests favour boys as these types of tests can promote a competitive environment that many girls find stressful.

(Reys et al. 0011)

Basically, male and female students are treated entirely different in a number of learning contexts, and this can disadvantage each individual student. Consequently, what a teacher does and says can affect the achievements of boys and girls as a whole, thus research must continue so as to modify these imbalances and allow teachers to have the knowledge to rectify such problems they may have in their classroom.

Research into how teachers are reacting towards gender in their students is extremely important. Any findings that are made help to improve student equity and help teachers to better understand the problems associated with unequal gender treatment. This information can then be used by teachers to improve the achievements in both boys and girls, regardless of gender. Within the journal document, by Deborah Garrahy, it can be seen what research is taking place currently all over the world. The study was based on the beliefs and actions of three third-grade teachers in relation to gender. The research compared "the teachers' gender beliefs with what actually happened in their classroom" (Garrahy 00181), and found that, although teachers didn't realise it, their "beliefs did not match their practices" (Garrahy 00181). This was a really big problem found by the research and is the one reason many students are treated unfairly or unequally when it comes to gender.

The research also looked at many aspects of schooling. Researchers found that boys had far more difficult interactions with their teachers and they "received more attention than girls via criticism, praise, constructive feedback and help" (Garrahy 0018)

However, within all the resources gathered, there was a major problem, all the research is based on female teachers' views and not on male teachers' as well. This can greatly affect the results that are found, thus for research to be successful, there must be a sense of equity in distribution of research between both genders. For research to be fair both male and female teachers' views must be considered, hence, gender equity is also a problem within the research. If research into male teachers' attitudes and responses to students isn't considered also then effective solutions may not be discovered. Through investigation of male teachers' responses to students, as well as female teachers' responses, we can find the most effective way to deal with both genders in a classroom, inadvertently improving student achievements. Nonetheless, research must continue as "the study of elementary teachers' thoughts and actions about gender is imperative because it best represents a range of children's gendered experiences in schools" (Garrahy 001). Ultimately, effective and fair research can benefit all children in a classroom, as well as a teacher, and seriously improve both behaviour and students' achievements in all areas of the curriculum, regardless of gender.

Teacher's views on students are of great importance in regards to the amount each child in a classroom can achieve. Results of the research carried out, demonstrated that teachers believe in the existence of a "generic" (Garrahy 001) child. This, in basic terms, means they overlooked or did not take into account the gender of students in a classroom (Garrahy 001). Although this was their view, it was shown that many male students were given more benefits, for example, the way student groups were rearranged in order to alleviate difficulties being had with the boys in the class (Garrahy 001). At times, many boys are given greater benefits and praise, and as such, this caused unequal treatment between girls and boys. "I don't see black and white," a teacher would say, "I see only students" (Garrahy 001). It was found that teacher's are often oblivious to the fact that they are treating every student differently, especially in regards to gender. All three teachers believed students were getting the same opportunities, yet male students' were often benefiting by the way the teacher responded to the class (Garrahy 001). Teachers' views are one major factor that needs to be rectified in order for student achievements to improve. Research helped to discover this, however only teachers and the solutions found by the research, can change these imbalances. The responses of teachers to students are therefore greatly affected by individual views, and hence, must be corrected to give all students an equal opportunity in the classroom.

The percentages of male to female teachers in primary schools are dramatically unequal. Within the professional field of primary educators and teachers, males make up only around 0.% (Australian Bureau of Statistics 00) of the workforce in the primary education sector. This figure has declined from 5.8% between 1 and 00. All across the World male teachers are a minority. In America, approximately 6% of the nation's million teachers are men (Higgins 00). This means that many schools have only approximately one or two full-time male teachers present within their school. Children, on average, are only likely to be taught by a male teacher once within their primary years, and in some cases, never. This has a huge impact on many children, especially when they may not have a stable male figure in their lives. This inequity in male to female teacher percentages in schools may be due to such things as

1) societal beliefs

) other careers offering better financial stability

) the fear of legal matters pertaining from sexual assault claims

4) very low pay in relation to other professions

Inequities, in relation to percentages of male to females in the education workforce, make it difficult for children to have a fair education. In order to have equality, things must be done to get men into the teaching profession. This must be done to improve the relative low amounts of contact children may receive from a male teacher while in primary school. Without equality improved here, many children will be disadvantaged and, as such, will not receive the best education they possibly could receive.

The way gender equity is being addressed is another area that needs to be focused on. By addressing gender equity, teachers can fairly treat every single student, and therefore, all students will have the chance to achieve the best they can, without being disadvantaged.

Teachers often hold expectations about individual students and groups of students. These expectations, sometimes based on gender differences, may limit the opportunities that teachers present to students

(McInerney & McInerney 00).

Within the "Gender Equity Strategy 16-001" document, steps towards improving gender equity can be accessed and, as such, teachers can enforce these strategies into the classroom. Teachers can use this document to focus on improving the way all students are treated, and strategies outlined in the guide can help to assist this process. The document emphasises four main areas for improvement

1) Teaching and Learning

) The school culture and organization

) The school and its community

4) Monitoring, evaluation, review and development

There are expected outcomes for each area, questions for schools (that need to be addressed), and system indicators, all for improving gender equity (NSW Department of Education 16). Teachers can use the guide to "develop their understanding of gender as an educational issue and consequently seek out and apply best practice models" (NSW Department of Education 16). Also within the text, "Stages - Steps Towards Addressing Gender In Educational Settings" (Allard et al. 15), a guide is available for teachers and students for improving equity. It mentions ways that teachers and principals can work towards founding a Stages program within the school, to address gender equity. It points out materials needed, issues that need to be addressed, questioning, investigation, and putting all of it into action for the benefit of all involved in the school (Allard et al. 15). Teachers need to focus on remembering that,

The challenge is to move beyond the binary opposition, to see behaviors as a range of negotiated responses to different contexts, rather than as reactions determined by biology

(Allard et al. 151).

Basically, teachers need to remember that students act differently in a number of learning situations, not because they are male or female, but because students display different abilities in different areas. Through understanding of this, as well as implementing ways to address gender equity for all students, teachers can help to improve many students' achievements and can inadvertently help all children, regardless of gender, to learn efficiently and effectively.

Effective teaching and learning of girls and boys can be refined through the findings made in all the research that is taking place. A deeper understanding of how teachers can improve their responses to students is essential. Without greater knowledge in this area, students may not achieve their full potential; thus, some children may be disadvantaged. Gender equity within every classroom is essential for student success. Through research into different strategies or solutions, teachers can be educated on ways to amend any problems within their class, hopefully changing the way they respond to students. Equal treatment of students, whether male or female, will inevitably improve all achievements and allow for a more equitable learning environment.

References

Allard, A., Cooper, M., Hildebrand, G., Wealands, E., 15, Stages-Steps Towards Addressing Gender in Educational Settings, Curriculum Corporation, Victoria.

Australian Bureau of Statistics, 00, Decline in the Proportion of Male School Teachers, URLhttp//www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/006ABECF87AD1CA56CD8007D C415?Open&Highlight=0,teachers

Online [accessed th September 00]

Garrahy, D.A., 001, Three Third-Grade Teachers Gender-related Beliefs and Behaviours, The Elementary School Journal, Volume 10, No. 1, pp. 81-.

Good, T.L., Brophy, J.E., 184, Looking in Classrooms, Third Edn., Harper and Row, United States of America.

Higgins, L., 00, Wanted More Male Teachers, URL http//www.freep.com/news/education/men1_00081.htm

Online [accessed 8th September 00]

McInerney, D.M., McInerney, V., 00, Educational Psychology Constructing Learning, Third Edn., Pearson Education Australia Pty Ltd, Australia.

NSW Department of School Education, 16, Girls and Boys at school - Gender Equity Strategy 16-001, Specific Focus Programs Directorate, Sydney.

Reys, R.E., Linquist, M.M., Lambdin, D.V., Smith, N.L., Suydam, M.N., 001, Helping Children Learn Mathematics, Sixth Edn., John Wiley & Sons Inc., United States of America.

Bibliography

Pangrazzi, R.P., 001, Dynamic Physical Education for Elementary School Children, Thirteenth Edn., Allyn and Bacon, United States of America.

Sadker, D., 1, Gender Equity Still Knocking at the Classroom Door,

URL http//www.sadker.org/eq-leader.htm

Online [accessed nd June 00].

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