Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Arab States
East Asia and the Pacific South and West Asia
Gender Analysis of Classroom and other Processes in Secondary Schools: Background and Rationale
Annotated Bibliography of works on gender and education with special emphasis to Secondary Education commissioned in five countries indicated a dearth of studies looking at classroom and schooling processes A study on boys underachievement suggested classroom and schooling processes play an important role in shaping gender identity and self image which in turn are important for learning and achievement
Research Objectives
Using in-depth case studies of four to five schools each, the research provides deeper insights into how far schools question or maintain status-quo regarding existing gender-unequal practices, stereotypes and expectations how gender manifests itself in schools and classrooms in different contexts, and what are the significant similarities and differences across different countries, regions and cultures what needs to be done to make schools more genderequal institutions that encourage both boys and girls to realise their full learning potentials and in turn make societies more equal
Countries covered
India: very high Population, high gender disparity in favour of boys except in examinations results; high subnational differences Nigeria: high population, high gender disparity in favour of boys Pakistan: high Population, very high gender disparity in favour of boys Malaysia: middle population, gender disparity in favour of girls Trinidad & Tobago: low population, gender disparity in favour of girls, especially at secondary level Samoa: low population, gender disparity in favour of girls especially at secondary level Seychelles: low population, gender disparity in favour of girls, especially at secondary level
Methodology
Case Studies (single sex as well as co-ed schools) Essentially qualitative in nature Tools for the study were developed and finalised in a participatory manner Observation (classrooms, sports, teachers meetings, etc.) Focus group discussion (FGD) (teachers, boys, girls separate as well as joint groups) In-depth interviews (teachers, principles, boys, girls, administrators) Document Analysis
Textbooks
Visibility of women is very low as compared to mens appearance in the textbooks. Women and men are identified with stereotypical attributes: brave, heroic, honest, strong are portrayed as male and caring, self scarifying, love and kindness as female attributes (Pak) Members of textbook review and author are almost all men. In one instance, a team of female authors and reviewers were able to produce comparatively more gender inclusive textbook (Pak) under representation of women is clearly evident in all the textbooks across subjects. little effort to depict women in non-traditional roles and portray them as capable of making choices (India, Malaysia); Token shifts such as a chapter on womens status added (India) Most of the textbooks in use are recently published books and gender friendly in Seychelles.
Ultimate goal
Education processes to be transformative in terms of preparing students to question existing gender relations and notions of masculinities and being feminine School as space where students have opportunities for questioning, debating, seeing new perspectives, forming new identities and relations without feeling threatened or weak