In the past when boys were outperforming girls the government was worried about the achievement of girls so they began to introduce single sex schools/lessons as in some cases science lessons were male dominated. The government also introduced national projects such as GIST (girls into science and technology) and GATE (girls and technology education) they were introduced to try and encourage girls to participate and gain success in science and technical subjects.
So as you can see some of the reasons put forward by people on why girls are outperforming boys I think are incorrect but the others I would say were fairly appropriate.
Methodology:
As I have mentioned before the question I am going to research on is ‘why are girls out performing boys in gcse examinations?’ By researching into this question it will not only give me an insight on the educational abilities in the uk but I was interested in conducting this piece of research as there has been a great deal on the news about girls outperforming boys and I was keen to find out the reasons for myself. By researching into this particular question I hope to acquire an appropriate explanation to why girls are out-performing boys in GCSE examinations.
There are many research techniques (methods of collecting data/) that I can use, such as observations, questionnaires, and interviews. This is all primary data this is data that I generate myself whilst researching into a certain topic. In addition to collecting my own data I can also use secondary data, which is data that already exists and has previously been generated or collected by other people.
Primary data: (research techniques)
- Questionnaires (closed or open questions)
- Participant observation
- Structured interviews (list of questions present)
- Unstructured interviews (general conversation about a certain topic)
Secondary data:
- Official statistics
- Diaries
- Media reports
- Letters
- Books
- Magazines/newspapers
The research techniques I have chose to use are questionnaires with closed questions, structured interviews, and participant observations (classroom observations).
The research techniques I have chosen have advantages and disadvantages to using them:
Questionnaires (closed questions)
Advantages:
- Provides quantitative data (data in statistical form)
- Easy to conduct and are Cheap & quick
- Efficient & Have a high response rate
Disadvantages:
- Some of the respondents may lie
- If the interviewer is not present then some questions may be misunderstood
- You do not know whether the right person has completed it, whether it is filled in individually or is a group effort
Structured interviews
Advantages:
- Efficient and reliable way of getting the information you need
- You can tell if they are lying or if they are genuine
Disadvantages:
- Biased answers may be given
- Age , sex, or race of the interviewer may influence the respondent.
Participant observations
Advantages:
- Allows the observer to study a group in their natural surroundings
- Can see things from the groups point of view
- Obtain a deeper understanding of the groups behaviour & activities.
Disadvantages:
- Researcher may get to involved with the group.
- Time consuming
- Researcher may have an effect on the behaviour of the group.
Primary data:
By carrying out the questionnaires and interviews I wished to find out the reasons of why girls are outperforming boys. Before actually giving my questionnaires out I had to construct it, the questions I used I thought of myself and I thought that these particular questions would be useful and that from these I could gain the appropriate information, which would be useful in my research. I asked 14 questions in total out of these I asked some general questions such as;
‘Are you punctual?’
‘What subjects do you like?’
I also asked some more in-depth questions specifically related to my research, such as;
‘Do you plan on staying at school for further education?’
‘Do you think the school is helping you enough?’
‘Do your parents take an interest in your education?’
After I had constructed my interview I carried out a pilot study. A pilot study is when you test the questionnaire to see if it works and if the people you are going to hand them out to understand the questions. I conducted a pilot study for both my questionnaires and interviews. From this I learnt that in my questionnaire only one question didn’t work, as when I gave this to 5 people I felt the question received biased answers, so as of this I took the question out of my questionnaire. The question was:
‘Do you think girls are doing better at school than boys?’
I gave them 3 options: yes, no, not sure. I noticed that two of the girls ticked yes, 1 boy ticked no and the other two: a girl and a boy ticked not sure! From the results I got for this question I thought that the respondents were biased as the girls answered yes and the boy answered no. I thought that all the answers I would get from this question would be biased, hence I removed the question.
My interview I tried out on one teacher, he answered all the questions apart from one, which I would say, wasn’t answered very well. The question was:
‘When you were at school you must have noticed whether girls were doing better than boys. If so would you say the figures have increased or decreased?’
The teacher replied that he didn’t really notice, so I thought that I would receive the same answer from all the teachers as the teacher told me that he couldn’t remember that far back! This is why I withdrew this particular question from the interview!
After carrying out my pilot studies I had the ideal interview and questionnaire! I started of by handing out questionnaires to year 10 and 11 students at Cranford Community College. The people I chose were randomly picked I did this by randomly picking people from the sampling frame, which in this case was the school register. After picking the people I handed out questionnaires to them. I also interviewed 5 teachers. I picked these teachers as I felt that they taught the subjects which both girls and boys do well in! I felt that I got a positive feedback from all of the students that I gave a questionnaire to and I felt that the teachers, which I interviewed, were very helpful and co-operative so this I think helped me out whilst carrying out my interviews and questionnaires!
I also carried out classroom observations, (participant observation) in which I observed a class, and at the same time I noted down a few things, I was able to this, as the class did not know that they were being observed so I was able to note things down! I noted down things such as;
Number of students
Seating arrangements
Lateness
I think by the teachers allowing me to do this in my own lessons was very helpful as otherwise it would have been very difficult for me to carry out these observations as I would have had lessons my-self!!
Analysis of primary data:
After getting the questionnaires back and after having looked at them, I have selected a few questions that I am going to analyse. These are;
‘What subjects do you like?’
‘Do you think students should have free periods?’
‘Do you attend school regularly?’
Question one: ‘what subjects do you like?’
This question I thought would show what subjects students like! I gave them 6 options:
Science
Maths
English
History
Physical education
Other
From this I thought I would get different answers from girls and boys! I have produced a graph showing the results I obtained:
I have also produced a tally chart:
From the results I have obtained I can clearly say that girls and boys both have different subjects, which they like. For example in subjects such as English and P.E one can see that boys and girls have very different opinions, likes, and dislikes. I can also say that from this I would say that as boys do not really like English I would say that they wouldn’t do their best or would not be bothered to work as hard as they would in subjects like P.E and science, as they enjoy and like these subjects.
Question two: ‘Do you think students should have free periods?’
From this question I thought I would get a result which showed an equal number of boys and girls saying yes and no, but this wasn’t the case as you can see in the graph below;
The results I got showed a completely different thing from what I had thought they would show. I thought that the same number of girls and boys would answer yes and no, but the results show that only one boy answered no and all the rest answered yes whereas 4 girls answered yes and 6 girls answered no!
From this I would say that the boys were not really interested in studying, as they want free periods to do what they wish to whereas the majority of girls would not like free periods, which would enable them to study even more as they would have lessons instead of free periods!
Question three: ‘Do you attend school regularly?’
I thought that from this question I would get a fairly equal response, but again the results I got differed from my original thought. I gave them three options- yes, no, mostly. I produced a graph showing the results I received:
As I said before I got a different set of results than I thought I would. As you can see in the graph the results show that girls attend school regularly and boys say that they do not. This question could not have been answered properly as boys or even girls may think that they look cool by answering no to this question! But if I was to take these results as a set of reliable results then I can say that girls attend school more than boys!
Teacher interviews;
The teacher interviews that I carried out were I would say a success as it gave me a range of different opinions from different teachers. Overall I found out that in subjects such as English and art girls and boys both are doing equally well but in other subjects such as physical education boys were achieving better results then girls. On the other hand in French and sociology girls had a tendency to do better. Last years results were fairly pleasing for all teachers and from this I would say that girls and boys both got fairly good results! Nearly all teachers felt that both school and external factors were very important. By external factors I mean parental interest and things like extra tuition etc. By school factors I mean peer pressure and learning attitudes. Teachers also said that they felt that the recent trends of girls out-performing boys was extremely recent as in the past they to have noticed that boys were out-performing girls. My teacher interviews were a success and I felt that the teachers were very helpful and co-operative.
Classroom observations:
I carried out a number of classroom observations, the students in the class didn’t know that I was observing them so they acted normal and I think this was a benefit to me as if they had known they may have acted differently. In nearly everyone class that I observed the seating arrangement was similar. The students were allowed to sit where they wanted in nearly all cases the boys were at the back of the class the girls in the middle and at the front sat those who were eager to learn. There was only one class, which had a seating arrangement I would say that all teachers should have a seating arrangement as it allows people to learn and avoid the distraction of their peers. By this I mean that if there is no seating plan people are allowed to sit where they wish to and by sitting next to their friends they didn’t study, as it would make them look un-cool. With a seating plan this could change.
In all lessons there were a few that walked in late and out of these the majority of them were boys. Some gave reasons for why they were late but out of what I saw three boys and a girl walked in and didn’t even say sorry and explain to the teacher why they were late! Nearly all the students were organized but most were chatty and some didn’t hand in homework but this was a minority of people!
Overall I think the questionnaire, interviews and classroom observations were beneficial and played a great impact on my research!
Secondary data:
Secondary data is data that already exists and has previously been generated or collected by other people. I have used a number of different resources. These include;
Articles
Internet findings
Books
Official statistics
The secondary data I put together I think is fairly useful as it shows me what people have already found and gives me some opinions/findings that other people have already come up with it. With this I can compare my own findings and see if there is a link!
The first piece of data that I have got is an article, which states that the government is worried about the difference in the performance of girls and boys in GCSE examinations! There are also different opinions from parents.
The second piece of data I have got are the GCSE results from 2001. they show the grades each student got male and female at Cranford Community College.
The third piece is a book, which I got from the library. It is called’ Just like a girl’ and is based on the research carried out by the sociologist Sue Sharpe.
The final piece of data I have got are governmental statistics, they are the 2002 GCSE examination results.
Analysis of secondary data:
Article based upon GCSE examination results:
This particular article is based upon the view of the government about the difference in the levels of attainment between girls and boys! It is not so much an article but rather a point of view from the government together with members of the community. It says that last year boys narrowed the gap by 0.3 to 8.9 percentage points but this year it has increased to 9 points. There are also many different points of view expressed by the public. Such as:
‘Stop comparing by gender, and then we can reach real equality, rather than just Political Correctness. ‘
Quite a few people have made this point they are saying that stop comparing the genders as men are men and girls are girls. They say that both genders are different in their own way and that the government should stop comparing the two.
While others say:
‘Girls work, do homework on time, turn up to lessons and respect teachers. It doesn’t cost a thing to be focused and show respect.’
Many people said this and I think it shows that some people agree with the government by saying that the difference should be compared and that it is not good that girls are out-performing boys.
Statistics: summer 2001 GCSE examination results:
I got the GCSE results from Cranford Community College for the year 2001. After having looked at them I realised that the data I present may be wrong as there is not an equal number of girls and boys at Cranford Community College, but bearing this in mind I produced pie charts, which showed the number of girls, and boys who had chosen a specific subject and the results they obtained;
Gender bias in subjects:
As one can see the number of boys who do P.E by far exceeds the number of girls. There is only one girl that chose P.E and I think this shows that it is a male dominated subject and so the results for boys who do P.E will be far better than the results girls achieve. This also shows another point that P.E is looked upon as a boys subject, I think this I wrong as it would put of any girls who wish to take up the subject.
As one can see textiles is definitely a female dominated subject and obviously as of this girls would do better in this subject. I think this is seen to as a girls subject and as I said for the subject; P.E this is not right as any boys who wish to take up the subject would be out off.
Sociology is a subject, whom both girls and boys have chosen; I would say from this that both the genders should do well in this subject. But upon saying this one could also say that sociology is quiet a tough subject you need to be able to keep your mind focused in order for you to do well at this subject. So some may say that boys are incapable of doing this hence they do not receive good grades. I do not agree with this statement as I think both genders are capable of doing well that is if they put their mind to it and are determined to do well!
Drama I would say is a fairly easy subject but even though this is the case one can see that only 19 people have chosen it in total. There is not really a difference between the amount of girls and boys who have taken up this subject!
Grades obtained in GCSE examinations by girls and boys in the year 2001:
I looked through the results of 2001 and these are the graphs I have produced:
As one can see from this bar chart girls achieved higher grades in English than boys! Most girls got grades ranging from an A to an E, whereas the boys got A’s to U’s.
As you can see a higher number of boys received B’s, C’s, and D’s in science. But on the other hand only one boy got a U and no girl received a grade less then a G. I find this surprising as in the research I have done so far science has been said to be a boys subject!
As you can see boys achieved better grades in maths then girls even though they did go up to G’s and U’s overall they achieved higher grades than girls!
Overall the results show that boys can do well in certain subjects where as girls do better all around. Although I could say that theses results were not really reliable as there is not an equal amount of girls and boys in the school! I would also like to say that there is as the government have pointed out a difference in the achievements of girls and boys and I think one can see that it does exist at Cranford as even though lets take Science as an example more boys got B’s and C’s then girls but overall no girl received a U. I think this shows that Cranford is typical but on the other hand as there are not an equal amount of girls and boys it could make a difference!
Book: ‘Just like a girl!’ by Sue Sharpe:
This book is about the study Sue Sharpe carried out in the 1970’s on the attitudes women had about their lives. When she carried out the public survey on the attitudes of girls in 1979, she found that girls were only interested in family, marriage, having children etc. When she carried out the same public survey in 1990 she found out that that the attitudes had changed slightly. Girls were interested in education, jobs, careers together with marriage and a family. She also talks about different aspects in female education now and in the past such as; leaving school at different times-1972 and 1991, girls and house work, fragmented options, career girls, secondary education, school and the hidden curriculum etc. This book refers to teachers trying a bit harder with boys and I would say that this should be happening. Sue Sharpe points out that boys are always treated differently than girls. For example; when a girl misbehaves the teacher will get angry and shout at the girl in question but if this were a boy the teacher would let it go, as the teacher would expect this from a boy. Sue Sharpe also says that this has always been happening and that there should be a change made, in the way teachers react to the behaviour of girls and boys. The book also takes about GIST; this is something I have mentioned earlier on. GIST is the government programme that lasted for four years and it was to try and find out why girls were not into science and technology!
One particular aspect that interested me was regarding;
‘Boys and girls subjects’
I think that this is still true today as people do refer to certain subjects as a boys subject or a girl’s subject. This particular chapter refers to the point in when students have the chance to pick the subjects they want and even if the school try and make the choices equal boys and girls always pick different subjects. It also says that when there was a survey carried out in the mid 1970’s it showed that male subjects were: chemistry, physics, maths, handicraft. While female subjects were: art, languages, history, music, and housecrafts. There are also different views from some of the girls who took part in the second public survey carried out by Sue Sharpe!
Overall I think in my research this book shows that inequality between the genders has been going on for a long time but the fact that girls are outperforming boys is just a recent thing as before people had very orthodox views about women staying at home and cooking and cleaning.
Sue Sharpe the author of ‘Just Like A Girl’.
Conclusion:
After completing the research I have come up with what I think is a suitable conclusion:
In my hypothesis I said that I thought that the reasons to why girls were outperforming boys in GCSE examinations were put down to:
Organization
Maturity
Motivation
Attitudes
Throughout the whole time I was conducting this research I kept these four points in mind. However after having carried out this research I have realised that there is a lot more to it then just these four points. They are a part of it but there are many more issues that play a part in all of this too.
Issues such as the feminist movement, attitudes of teachers, the sex-discrimination act, anti learning culture and the introduction of the national curriculum all play a part in this.
The feminist movement:
The feminist movement has led to the attitudes changing towards women’s career options and women’s roles. According to orthodox views men were always meant to go to school and receive an education whilst the women stayed at home-cooked, cleaned and look after the family. Basically girls were not supposed to be successful academically. Feminism has opposed these ideas and has given women greater confidence in their abilities. This is related to my research in a very important way, as before, in the past girls did not got to school they did not receive an education so obviously those girls that did attend school were in the minority hence leading to boys out-performing girls. Changing job opportunities also plays a part in this women are now allowed to go out and work and as of this some women may want more qualified jobs with more status so they got out and get an education so that they can get more qualified and prestigious jobs.
Attitudes of teachers:
The different attitudes towards girl and boys by teachers also has an impact, as a teacher doesn’t really take much interest in a boys education as they have stereotypical thoughts about a boy and that he would not want to study. This discourages a student and they think that if the teacher doesn’t care then why should I! On the other hand a teacher always encourages a girl to do well, as they know that a girl will listen and try her best. I do not think this is right as if a student, be it a girl or a boy, is not doing well in school the teacher should do all in his/her power to try and encourage the student and push them to do well! I think the results would drastically change if this would be done. I also found out that some boys think that being taught by female teacher discourages them they think they need a male role model to follow. I am not to sure about this point of view but I do not see any harm in giving this a go, as it might well encourage boys to work and do better in school!
Sex discrimination act:
The sex discrimination, which came about in 1975 makes sex discrimination in education illegal. I think this has made females feel safer and has given them more confidence to go to school and receive an education. This may have lead to girls becoming more confident and eager to learn hence they may achieve better grades in school!
Anti-learning culture:
Boys seem to follow the anti-learning culture, they think it is un-cool to work and study just because their friends do not study. They feel pressurised into doing exactly what their friends do even if they do not want to. This could also lead to girls doing better than boys as boys don’t or rather can’t study and this leads to them not doing as well in their exams.
The introduction of the national curriculum:
The national curriculum has lead to boys and girls having equal access to the same subjects. As some subjects are compulsory it gives both girls and boys the chance to have a go at all subjects. There is no such thing as girls only doing girl subjects or boys only doing boy subjects both genders have the chance to as they wish. As equality has come about and both boys and girls do the same subjects the statement that ‘girl subjects are easier and that is the reason why girls do better in exams’ cannot be said! There is an equal chance for girls and boys to do well in GCSE examinations!
Organization, maturity, motivation, and attitudes:
Girls are more mature then boys and more motivate. The attitudes towards learning have also changed. Girls are now more eager to learn and instead of just wanting a family they now want careers to. This I think is one of the major issues in why girls are out-performing boys!
All in all as I have stated before through the research I have carried out, I have come up with a conclusion which is: girls and boys should have an equal chance to do well in the GCSE examinations, teachers should not think of boys stereotypically and boys should also put in more effort whilst at school! There are a number of reasons why girls are out-performing boys that include; organization, maturity, changing attitudes, sex discrimination act, teacher’s attitudes, the feminist movement, the anti-learning culture, and the introduction of the national curriculum. After having said this I also think that if the government is really worried about the difference in attainment levels between girls and boys then they should do something about it. Something like: more male teachers, changing the attitudes of present teachers and trying to destroy the anti-learning culture! In the past when they were worried about girl’s attainment levels they introduced things such as GIST and GATE so now I think it is time for the government to introduce different programmes to boost the levels of attainment for boys!
Evaluation:
I think I have done fairly well in carrying out this piece of research. I have met the deadlines and the research I think is valid. I have carried out sufficient research to enable me to come up with an appropriate conclusion.
As I have mentioned before I think I have done well whilst carrying out this research I carried out questionnaire and interviews, I also collected some secondary data linked with my research.
The research methods I used I think were appropriate as it enabled me to get the information I needed. But I think if I had used unstructured interviews it might have given me a more in depth view of what the teachers thought. I think I took the easy option and went with the structured interviews, as I felt worried about not being able to carry out an unstructured interview successfully. I thought that I would not be able to communicate with the teachers properly and that there would be long pauses in the conversation. Looking back I think if I had carried out a pilot study for the unstructured interview I would have known for sure whether or not I could carry it out successfully. This may have encouraged me to do unstructured interviews that would have given me a more in depth view on what the teachers thought!
My findings mostly confirm secondary data and this I think proves that I have done well in this research as I have found out or reached a similar conclusion to those more advanced and with those who have carried out this survey before!
If I was to do this research all over again I think firstly I would give my self a longer period of time, as I felt that if I did have more time, then I would have been able to interview and give questionnaires to a lot more people which would have given me a wider range of results. Secondly I would I think also research into the A-level results as it may show more patterns and links to my research.
Overall I think I have worked well in this investigation into why girls are outperforming boys in GCSE examinations. I think I have analysed my work well and that I have come to a suitable conclusion!
