Gender and English V.Coultas@kingston.ac.uk

Discuss the survey What does this tell us about gender socialisation?

Language and gender

Boys and English 1993(Ofsted) Underachievers Boys do not do well in English Contrasts in attitudes and performance Majority of those with writing difficulties are boys Results at 16 lower for boys More girls study English post 16 (Daly,2000)

Rhetorical headlines ‘Failing boys “public burden number one” (Dean,1998) ‘Boys will be boys…and failures’(White,1998) ‘Britain is losing out in the global market place’ (Dearing Report, 1996)

DfEE figures (1997) Key Stage two 7% difference between boys and girls 18% difference in writing Key Stage four (GCSE) 17% difference between boys and girls Less discrepancy than in period of 100% coursework

Notable exceptions Drama Media Argumentative essay writing Speaking and listening? (Exams only report on norm referenced criteria)

Differently literate- Millard (1997) Challenges binary opposition model ‘School' performance related to social and cultural practices outside school Pupils attitudes towards reading and writing are influenced by their experience of gender and class outside the school Have to try and understand the difference in the literacy behaviours of boys and girls

Being ‘good’ at English- Goodwyn (1995) Teachers and pupils reject idea that girls have a greater natural aptitude for English Difference lies in attitude Girls were seen as more mature More at ease with their achievements-boys ‘want to be funny all the time’ Read more widely giving them an ‘extra dimension of experience’

English as a gendered subject Suggestion is that English as a subject has been feminised Tension between English as basic skills for functional literacy and English as‘a civilising influence’, uneasily trusted to the hands of women Move from coursework to exams has allowed boys to improve but should exams be changed further to create gender parity?

Millard,E (1997) ‘Girls currently appear to be doing better than boys in terms of school work, but we need to question further whether their expressed literacy preferences are the best preparation for developments that are redirecting attention away from the page to the screen, from the pen to the mouse, and from a well-structured essay to a well-organised Web site’.

Questions for discussion Do decisions about what is assessed in English leave out some areas of ability? How might this affect the performance of girls and boys? How might medium term plans be revised to address the needs of girls and boys? How does the status of ICT in English affect conceptions of ‘ability’ in relation to girls and boys?

Bibliography Daly,C (2000) Gender Differences in Achievement Davidson,J & Moss, J (Eds) Issues in English Teaching Epstein,D et al (1998) Failing boys? Issues in Gender Achievement. Open University Press Hunt, P et al (1984) The English Curriculum: Gender The English Centre Frater,G (1997) Improving Boys’ Literacy Basic Skills Agency Millard,E (1997) Differentially Literate Falmer Press Paachter,C (1998) Educating the Other Falmer Press

Red Riding Hood re-visited Which version did you prefer and why? Comment on the heroine in the different versions Is there a common message?

Literature and power ‘Cultural concepts of literature are closely tied to wider beliefs and values. Because of this, literary traditions and wider beliefs tend to give each other mutual support. The ideas of dominant groups tend to be foregrounded…while those of less powerful groups are said to be ‘silenced’ or marginalised.’ Studying Literature.B.Moon,1990

Activity A) How might you use these visual and print materials in a KS1 or 2 setting to revisit the traditional story of RRH? B)What whole school approaches could be adopted to promote gender equality in English teaching?

RICL group article Lads and English English in Education Volume 39, Issue 1, March 2005, Pages: 32–42, Elise Newman Article first published online : 28 JUN 2008, DOI: 10.1111/j.1754-8845.2005.tb00608.x