Psychology 320: Gender Psychology Lecture 44

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Psychology 320 Gender PsychologyLecture 44
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Invitational Office Hour Invitations, by Student
Number for February 4th 1130-1230, 330-430
Kenny 2517
16503070 28954071 62889084 65301061 65666083 75079
095
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Education
1. What factors contribute to sex differences in
educational attainment?
2. Are there advantages associated with same-sex
schooling?
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By the end of todays class, you should be able
to
1. identify factors that may account for sex
differences in educational attainment.
2. consider the benefits of same-sex vs.
mixed-sex schooling.
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What factors contribute to sex differences in
educational attainment?

• Among the factors that advocates of the boy
  crisis have implicated in the relatively low
  educational attainment of males are the
  following

• The relatively large number of programs
  designed to improve the academic performance of
  females as opposed to males.

• The preponderance of female teachers,
  particularly in early-education settings.

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• Gender role expectations that foster better
  student skills (e.g., delay of gratification)
  among girls than boys.

For both sexes, femininity is strongly correlated
with GPA across subjects (e.g., langauge arts,
math, science, social studies)
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• School environments that punish characteristics
  associated with the male gender role.

More boys than girls receive referrals to special
education services
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Percent of Students Described as Needing Special
Education Services Across Diverse Studies
Percent Boys
Teacher referral to learning disabled program (Mirkin, 1982) 80
Diagnosed with attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (Berry, 1985) 75-86
Learning-disabled students (Lerner, 1993) 72
Enrolled in learning-disabled program (K-12 Mellard Byrne, 1993) 75
Teacher referral to learning disabled program (Flynn Rahbar, 1994) 66
Diagnosed with reading disorder (APA, 1995) 60-80
Eligible for special education (Skarbrevik, 2002) 70
Enrollment in special education classes (Benjamin, 2003) 60-70
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• Inadequate attention to gender inequity in
  teacher training.

• Declining confidence in academic aptitude,
  interest in academic achievement, and engagement
  in school activities across time

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Indicators of High School Engagement (Statistics
Canada, 2004)
Males Females
Most or All of the Time Most or All of the Time Most or All of the Time
I got along well with teachers. 85.0 91.8
I did as little work as possible I just wanted to get by. 20.8 9.4
I paid attention to the teacher. 76.8 87.0
I was interested in what I was learning in class. 54.8 65.7
I felt like an outsider or like I was left out of things at school. 3.7 3.3
I completed my homework on time. 74.0 86.3
Agree or Strongly Agree Agree or Strongly Agree Agree or Strongly Agree
I thought that many of the things we were learning in class were useless. 40.4 37.3
I was treated with as much respect as other students in my class. 91.5 92.0
I had friends at school whom I could talk to about personal things. 93.4 95.5
I liked to participate in many school activities, for example clubs, sports, drama. 61.8 62.5
School was often a waste of time. 16.6 10.0
People at school were interested in what I had to say. 89.9 91.0
3 hours or Fewer 3 hours or Fewer 3 hours or Fewer
How many hours each week did you spend on homework outside class, during free periods and at home? 45.9 28.9
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Percent of High School Seniors in School-Related
Activities by Sex (Institute for Social Research,
2001)
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Are there advantages associated with same-sex
schooling?

• Given sex discrepancies in school performance
  and the prevalence of sexual harassment in
  schools, many researchers, theorists and policy
  makers advocate for the implementation of
  single-sex schools.

• A recent review conducted by the US Department
  of Education (2005) suggests that single-sex
  schools (SS) offer some benefits over mixed-sex
  schools (MS).

• The primary findings of the review include the
  following

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Outcomes Variables for Single-Sex vs. Mixed-Sex
Schools Academic Achievement (US Department of
Education, 2005)
Outcome Variable Findings of Review
General and subject-specific achievement tests SS gt MS
Meritorious scholarships attained Insufficient data
College GPA Insufficient data
College graduation rates SS MS
Post-secondary test scores (e.g., GRE, MCAT, LSAT) SS MS
Graduate school attendance rates SS MS
Postgraduate licensure tests scores Insufficient data
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Outcomes Variables for Single-Sex vs. Mixed-Sex
Schools Adaptation and Socioemotional Adjustment
(US Department of Education, 2005)
Outcome Variable Findings of Review
Bullying Insufficient data
Delinquency MS gt SS
High school drop out MS gt SS
Eating disorders SS gt MS (females only no data for males)
Teenage pregnancy Insufficient data
Self-esteem MS gt SS (males only SS MS for females)
Locus of control SS gt MS
Educational and career aspirations SS gt MS
Participation in school-related activities SS gt MS
Selection of non-traditional college major SS gt MS (females only no data for males)
Political activism SS gt MS (females only no data for males)
Post-secondary unemployment MS gt SS
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Outcomes Variables for Single-Sex vs. Mixed-Sex
Schools School Climate or Culture (US
Department of Education, 2005)
Outcome Variable Findings of Review
Leadership opportunities SS gt MS
Value placed on leadership and grades SS gt MS
Student satisfaction MS gt SS (high school), SS gt MS (college)
Parent satisfaction Insufficient data
Teacher satisfaction Insufficient data
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Education
1. What factors contribute to sex differences in
educational attainment?
2. Are there advantages associated with same-sex
schooling?