Factors Affecting Educational Achievement: Gender (AQA A Level Sociology): Flashcards

Fuller found that some girls saw educational success as central to their identity and self-worth.

False.

Radical feminists argue that changes have not gone far enough to dismantle deeply rooted patriarchal structures in society and the curriculum.

Biggart found that many working-class girls see motherhood as a more realistic goal than a career, due to economic insecurity and low aspirations.

Despite their educational success, women still earn less than men and are under-represented in senior positions.

GIST and WISE aimed to promote female participation in male-dominated subjects, such as the sciences and maths.

False.

The National Curriculum ensured that boys and girls largely studied the same subjects.

Female headteachers provide girls with aspirational role models, showing that women can achieve highly.

Jackson found that schools see girls as desirable recruits because they get better exam results and boost league table success.

Liability students are pupils, often boys, whom schools see as undesirable because of their poor behaviour and lower performance.

Gorard argues that the introduction of coursework in 1989 benefited girls, who tend to be more organised and meet deadlines.

Mitsos and Browne (1998) argue that girls are more conscientious and mature earlier than boys.

False.

Girls receive more positive feedback and are seen as 'ideal students', while boys receive more negative attention (Francis, 2000).

Girls are more likely to form pro-school subcultures, while boys may resist authority.

Archer argues that working-class girls gain status through hyper-heterosexual identities, e.g. their style, boyfriends and being 'loud'.

Symbolic capital is status and approval from peers, which working-class girls may have to balance against academic success.

Evans found that working-class girls often choose local universities because of a fear of debt or leaving home.

Evans (2009) found that some working-class girls are motivated by a desire to support their families.

Lees identified a double standard: boys are praised for sexual conquests, while girls are negatively labelled for the same behaviour.

Connell meant the verbal abuse used to reinforce gender norms and punish those who do not conform, e.g. boys calling girls 'slag'.

The male gaze is the way male pupils and teachers surveil and sexualise girls, judging them on looks rather than ability (Mac an Ghaill, 1994).

Askew and Ross argue that male teachers protect female teachers and blame girls more for discipline issues, excusing boys as 'just being boys'.

False.

Radical feminists argue it remains patriarchal: girls face sexual harassment, men dominate senior roles and history is taught from a male perspective (Weiner, 1994).

Elwood argues that coursework cannot fully explain the gender gap because exams carry more weight in determining final grades.

Edwards and David argue that boys struggle to concentrate because they mature later than girls, as early socialisation encourages active, attention-seeking behaviour.

False.

Boys are overconfident, so they are surprised by failure and tend to blame it on bad luck rather than lack of effort.

The feminisation of education is Sewell's (2006) claim that schools reward traits associated with girls, such as attentiveness and neatness, and discourage boys' competitive behaviour.

Elwood (2005) argues that exams still determine most grades, so coursework only partly explains the gender gap.

Read challenged the idea that boys lack male role models by finding that many female teachers use a disciplinarian teaching style similar to that of male teachers.

The DfES found that boys have poorer language and reading skills than girls, which affects their performance across subjects.

Boys' leisure activities, such as gaming and sports, contribute to underachievement because they do not develop communication skills.

According to Francis (2000), teacher expectations affect boys because teachers often assume boys are disruptive or less able, which leads to more reprimands and negative attention.

Mitsos and Browne (1998) argue that negative labelling of boys can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy.

A crisis of masculinity is where boys no longer see education as necessary or relevant, as traditional manual, working-class jobs have declined.

False.

Critics argue that many of the lost jobs required few qualifications, so their decline does not fully explain falling engagement.

Laddish subcultures associate academic success with femininity, rewarding toughness, resistance and rebellion instead.

Epstein found that hard-working boys were harassed and labelled as 'gay' or 'swots'.

False.

Francis (2000) found that boys were more concerned than girls about being stigmatised for trying hard.

Black Caribbean boys are more likely to be excluded and placed in lower sets, showing that gender intersects with ethnicity.

Osler argues that the focus on 'failing boys' diverts attention away from disadvantaged girls, who are also at risk.

Males are more likely to study computing, physics, further maths and economics at post-16 level.

At post-16, females are more likely to study sociology, English literature, and health and social care (JCQ, 2024).

False.

Feminists see the education system as patriarchal and largely controlled by men, which shapes gender differences in subject and career choice.

Norman found that from an early age, boys and girls are given different toys and encouraged to behave differently.

Byrne found that teachers expect boys to be tough and girls to be helpful and tidy.

Colley showed that science textbooks often depict male figures and use examples that appeal more to boys.

The practical, mechanical equipment used in design and technology can appeal more to boys.

Vocational courses are even more gender-segregated than academic routes.

Pupils may avoid these subjects due to fear of being judged by peers, which reinforces traditional choices.

Paechter found that girls who choose 'masculine' subjects like PE risk being labelled unfeminine.

False.

These cultural pressures are less influential in single-sex schools.

Fuller found that working-class girls' ambitions reflected traditional female jobs, such as childcare or retail.

Careers advice and work experience placements often fail to challenge gendered expectations about suitable jobs.

The Institute of Physics found that girls in single-sex schools were 2.5 times more likely to choose A Level physics.