International Dialogue Gender Based Literacy

How to use your clicker device: When a question appears on the screen, press the appropriate number on the clicker that corresponds to the response you want to choose Your first answer will power on and send your response Please press send for questions 1 and 2 You can submit or change your response as many times as you want, it only records the last one All responses are anonymous so be honest! SEND

1. What country are you from? Afghanistan 2. Austria 3. Canada 4. Ireland 5. Israel 6. New Zealand 7. Nigeria 8. Pakistan 9. Singapore 10. South Africa 11. Uganda 12. Other Country# of responsesCountry# of responses

2. If you are from Canada, what province/territory are you from? Matched Acceptable Value: NA, Within Range: 37 Acceptable Value: NA, Acceptable Range: {1, 13} 1. Newfoundland and Labrador 2. Prince Edward Island 3. Nova Scotia 4. New Brunswick 5. Quebec 6. Ontario 7. Manitoba 8. Saskatchewan 9. Alberta 10. British Columbia 11. Yukon 12. Northwest Territories 13. Nunavut

3. Which of the following best describes your role in education? 1. Ministry/Policy 2. District Leader or Administrator (System Level) 3. School-based Leader – Ex. Principal, Head Teacher, Director, Etc. 4. Supporting School-based Leader – Ex. Vice-Principal, Deputy Principal, Etc. 5. Teacher 6. Education Organization and/or association 7. Other

4. If you are a school-based leader, which of the following best describes your school? 1. Publicly funded 2. Independently funded 3. Other

5. What is your gender? 1. Female 2. Male

6. What age range do you fall within? – – – – – – 80

7. How many years have you been in education? 1. 1 – – – – – – – More than 35

8. How many years have you been in your current role? 1. 1 – – – – – – – More than 35

9. Which of the following types of schools best describes those in your jurisdiction? 1. Co-ed (Boys and Girls) Schools 2. Schools for boys only 3. Schools for girls only 4. Other

10. If you are a school-based leader, which of the following best describes your school? 1. Co-ed (Boys and Girls) School 2. School for boys only 3. School for girls only 4. Other

11. In your jurisdiction, which gender experiences more issues with literacy? 1. Boys 2. Girls

12. In your jurisdiction, which of the following areas is of greatest concern in regards to gender based literacy issues? 1. Boys reluctance to learn to read and/or read 2. Girls reluctance to attend school 3. Boys being pulled out of school at a young age 4. Girls being pulled out of school at a young age 5. Girls not attending school because of cultural norms 6. Girls not attending school because they’re afraid

13. Michael Smith and Jeffrey Wilhelm identify the following gender differences related to literacy. If boys’ literacy is an issue in your jurisdiction, which of the following seem to be the main cause of a gender gap in literacy? 1. Boys take longer to learn to read than girls do 2. Boys read less than girls 3. Girls tend to comprehend narrative texts and most expository texts significantly better than boys do 4. Boys generally provide lower estimations of their reading abilities than girls do 5. Boys value reading as an activity less than girls do 6. Boys have much less interest in leisure reading than girls do, and are far more likely to read for utilitarian purposes than girls do 7. Other

14. In your jurisdiction, which of the following seem to be the main cause of boys’ lack of interest in reading? 1. Discouragement of certain kinds of literature as unsuitable for classroom reading 2. Insufficient guidance from the teacher in choosing what to read and in helping students develop a range of reading strategies 3. Use of reading activities as a time- filler 4. A limited selection of genres 5. The disparity between students’ sense of why reading is important (e.g., to give them a good start in life) and their perception of its purposes in school (e.g., primarily as reading stories for pleasure) 6. Other

15. If girls’ attendance is an issue in your jurisdiction, which of the following is the most significant deterrent to girls attending school? 1. Poverty 2. Gender roles and traditions 3. HIV/AIDS 4. Armed conflict and other crises 5. Lack of infrastructure 6. Other

Gender Based Literacy GROUP DISCUSSION What challenges are faced in regards to gender based literacy in your jurisdiction? What is being done in your jurisdiction to address these challenges? What else should be done?