英国论坛
Roehampton University(罗汉普顿大学)
所在地区:英格兰所在城市:LondonTIMES排名:80
一键免费快速申请文章正文综述详细专业照片新闻校友录已获Offer学生资料A Roehampton University study has found parents and teachers are placing an ill-founded emphasis on the gender gap.A Roehampton University study has found parents and teachers are placing an ill-founded emphasis on the gender gap.
Professor of Education, Becky Francis, has warned that embedded attitudes about gender roles has lead to assumptions that boys and girls can be treated as separate, homogenous groups in teaching and learning. Whereas in fact, factors such as social class have a greater impact on achievement and mean that girls from lower socio-economic groups and certain minority ethnic groups are still out-performed by middle-class white boys.
Yet the focus on ‘boys’ underachievement’ means that the continuing needs of these groups of girls, and the interplay of social class and ethnicity with gender and educational achievement, go unacknowledged.
Looking at strategies to address ‘boys’ underachievement’, Professor Francis said there was no hard evidence to support the theory that single-sex teaching improved boys’ results, rather that schools should challenge stereotypes and encourage boys and girls to diversify their skills and interests.
The research, conducted by Professor Francis and colleague Professor Christine Skelton for the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) found social class to be the biggest factor affecting attainment. A study of the 2006 Key Stage 2 results for 11-year-olds found that overall, girls were outperforming boys in English to a significant degree, but disadvantaged girls were behind their wealthier male peers.
Professor Francis said a school-wide approach to achievement was required to raise achievement.
“This study highlights the need for strong leadership from the head teacher, and for high expectations for all pupils. This can only be supported by effective partnerships between parents and in the community,” she said.
“The results have suggested that one-off initiatives based on the theory that learning styles differ between boys and girls will not deliver significant change on their own. For example, single sex classes only work where they are part of a wider culture that promotes high expectations and achievement for all.”
The report shows that by analysing the percentage of children who achieve Level 4 or above in English, social class was twice as important a factor as gender in English, with an attainment gap of 22 percentage points in children receiving free school meals compared to those not doing so. Boys' achievement levels seem to be hit particularly hard by disadvantage, with boys receiving free school meals trailing 24 percentage points behind their wealthier male peers.
The social inequalities that lie behind the biggest gaps in England's school results do not follow a global pattern. International comparisons show that in Canada, Finland, Iceland, Japan, Korea and Sweden, pupils from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds perform well.
