Figures used to gauge the effectiveness of education and to draw comparisons between gender attainments are usually based on standard 5 GCSE, at grade C or above, otherwise known as the GCSE Benchmark (Gorard, Rees, and Salisbury, 1999). There are also assessments throughout a child’s educational life. “Academic achievement is the cornerstone of the educational enterprise. It is most often used as the basis for judging individual and systemic educational outcomes” (Knopp Biklen and Pollard 1993, p.90). It is important to point out that not all results are comparable in format or source, as pointed out by Gorard, et al., (1999). Some figures do not take into account proportions, so, for example, a 40% male pass rate, might not be a true reflection of the fact that maybe there was a higher female participation. Salisbury et al., (1999) warn that when evaluating quantitative research figures, “if that quantitative framework is misconceived, then much of the research work may have attempted to explain a pattern that does, in fact, not exist” (p.418). It is worthwhile
considering these limitations when examining results and research figures.
The first type of assessments in a child’s school life, the baseline assessments produce results that point to girls being more prepared for school life and “…better equipped than boys to deal with school-type activities…” (Salisbury, et al. 1999). However, when results are scrutinized, the only areas where noticeable differences exist are English, languages and humanities. Research by Ofsted shows that gender identity restricts different genders within the learning process. This research has shown that boy’s don’t like reading and view it as ‘sissy’ whereas girls find reading very enjoyable. Reading is seen to be a very important tool within the education system, and thus boys need to be encouraged to read for pleasure. This is a slow process as reading is culturally ‘feminised’ by society. Women tend to read fiction and boys tend to read for facts, and as fiction is the main means of teaching reading at primary school thus boys are disadvantaged from an early age within the education system. Boys and girls perform similarly in Mathematics and sciences, a trend that continues right up to GCSE level. At this stage girls appear to be more successful than boys but although the choice of subjects available to girls has increased and girls no longer have to choose ‘female’ subjects, the uptake of these subjects by girls is less than boys as they are still traditionally seen to be, “boys subjects”(Ofsted et al, pg6). The government’s web site www.standards.dfee.gov.uk/underachievement examines the problems of boys’ underachievement, it lists results for the years 1997 to 2001, and these are grouped according to Key Stage, up to GCSE. At Key stage 1, Level 2 and above, there are noticeable differences in writing performance only. At all other stages, including GCSE, the only area that shows any real difference is English. These figures are merely bar charts and are difficult to analyse or to compare with others, as they are not properly quantified. Nevertheless there are clear differences in results, albeit only in English. The Gorard et al, (1999) study also reveals that achievement gaps are noticeable in languages, humanities, and some design subjects, although the gap seems to increase only at higher levels of attainment.
Much evidence points to the fact that boys are not necessarily under-performing, but that girls are “… gaining more of the higher attainment levels …” Salisbury et al. (1999, p.418). Results differ most at the top end of examination results, where more girls reach higher grades, whereas middle grades tend to be equally distributed between sexes. In fact, boys do not seem to be under-performing per se, more that they do not generally attain levels as high as girls do.
The greater results in languages in favour of girls seems to substantiate the view that boys find verbal/written expression harder than girls, as Johnson (1996) stated “The clearest evidence here relates to boys’ lower levels of literacy and spoken skills…” (Cited in Salisbury, et al., 1999, p407). This is also reflected in the way girls/boys react in examinations. Boys prefer the multiple-choice type questions, where they feel guided by the question, whereas girls prefer the kind of question that requires free-style writing (Salisbury et al., 1999). The gender variation between achievements at GCSE level has stayed roughly the same for several years but then started to rise. (Ofsted et al, pg 7) there are statistical difficulties in making comparisons with the years prior to the introduction of the GCSE exam, which was first taken in 1988.
Interestingly, the pattern of differences in the performance of both sexes in various subjects is not continued in education at A level. (Ofsted et al, pg 7). However, there is still gender bias when it comes to choosing subjects for extended learning, and this could affect figures in as much as a student, whether male or female, would probably not choose a subject matter he/she could not achieve good results in. One should bear in mind that choices are also often limited in secondary education, depending on what is on offer at the school. Later, by the time choices are to be made for A levels, GCSE level results would limit choices available.
There are many reasons for the disparities, some of which are school-related; others are not. For example, it is clear that girls and boys react to different learning/teaching styles. Studies have shown that boys are “frequently to be found dominating the classroom environment and monopolizing teachers’ time” (Warrington and Younger, 2000). Some even go so far as to say “boys performance has been hampered by the feminised and even feminist influences of female teachers and the very nature of the English curriculum itself”. (Martino and Meyenn 2002, p303). It is hardly surprising when such statements are made that there is panic over the poor performance of boys. An HMI Inspection of Boys and English (1993) pointed out that `secondary age boys tend to have more negative attitudes towards reading and writing than girls… Their learning improves when the teaching is directed at them… and the use of information technology can benefit the quality of their work.
This view of feminised teaching methods has lead to a call for more single sex classes and more male role models in the form of teachers (Martino and Meyenn, 2002). Recent research has shown that single-sex education can indeed help raise attainment levels for those who might have been hampered by a co-educational facility (Warrington and Younger, 2001). Salisbury et al. (1999) point out, “… A common perception held by parents and daughters is that boys are lowering girls’ achievements and damaging their educational experience (p413).” If that were the case, it would be logical to assume that some boys with their ‘laddish’ behaviour can have the same effect on other boys too. Whereas Warrington and Youngers’ studies (2001) show that single sex education can be a contributory factor in high levels of attainment, Salisbury et al., (1999) show that when certain 1994 results are compared, girls from an all-girl school do not actually fare any better than those from mixed schools. Questions have been asked around just how successful single sex schools are and whether they are offering the full range of options … which pupils would encounter in a comparable mixed school (Ofsted et al, pg5).
In conclusion, government officials and the media would have us believe that all boys are doing less well than girls are, which of course would be disastrous for the human race as a whole. Pictures are being painted of boys having so many hurdles in their way, from feminised teaching methods, lack of male role models, peer pressure, as well as influencing factors from home. Indeed, boys from low-income families tend to under-achieve more than others (Gorard, et al., 1999). Whilst these points represent important factors that contribute to determining performance, it is important to realise that, amidst the panic, not all boys under-perform and not in all subjects. There are clear differences in levels of attainment throughout school life for boys in language subjects, but in the other subjects, such as maths and science, no real differences between girls and boys. It has also been shown that these differences do not extend to A level subjects. We have seen a reversal of results from 30 years ago, where the focus was on increasing levels of attainment and participation of girls. Measures were undertaken to improve opportunities for girls, and now they are achieving better results than before, and in some case of English, better results than boys. If exams are indicative of overall performance, one might believe that girls are in fact ‘doing better’ than boys, but recent studies examined here show that the differences, although real, are not quite as alarming as portrayed. “Evidence seems to suggest that the individual’s attitude to learning is clearly not predetermined by their gender, there are tendencies for girls and boys to respond in certain general ways in given circumstances”(Ofsted et al, pg 16). “Inspectors noted that girls and boys have different approaches to planning and organising their work. The strategies used by girls are more precise and they are more likely to complete the given tasks.
Schools can begin to tackle these differences of attainment by reviewing the way they use rewards and sanctions by introducing a mentoring scheme and by ensuring young people have a chance to experience representing their peers by having the chance to participate in school elections and serving on the school committee or class council. These entire factors seem to suggest that this trend of underachievement by boys needs to be fully explored. A lot of focus is being put on boy’s underachievement and not enough work is being done to bring them back up to the same level as girls. Whilst I have focused this assignment on underachievement of boys I feel that girls are still not reaching their full potential in the education system. Even though they are out performing boys on all levels in the education system men are still going into the highest paid and most powerful positions in jobs so in a sense girls are underachieving too.
