This 3 page paper is a proposal for a study focusing on gender inequities in education. The introduction comments on the purpose of the project. The literature research reports studies that demonstrate boys receive more attention from their teachers than girls. The writer comments on the importance of school as a socialization process for learning gender roles. The paper ends with a summary and suggestions for research. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
Name of Research Paper File: MM12_PGgnde.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
further postulates that there is a continuing theme in schools that favor boys over girls. The struggle for equal opportunities for females began more than three decades ago. Still, equality
has not been achieved in any arena of life, including schools. Because this is an ongoing struggle, this project is important to demonstrate that the first formal socialization experiences of
children, i.e., the education system, is biased towards boys and away from girls. Review of Literature Historically, gender roles are defined as: "behavior that is considered masculine or feminine
[that] are culturally determined" (Hirsch et al, 1988, p. 52). Gender roles are divided by the sex of an individual with certain expectations for males and females (Hirsch et al,
1988). These roles still persist in todays society. In fact, Chandler noted that gender roles continue to be instilled in each individual through social and cultural norms and traditions (1996).
Children are exposed to very profound socialization processes when they enter school. The first imbalance observed is the number of female versus male teachers. There are approximately 2,988,379 teachers in
the K through 12 public schools in the United States (National Center for Education Statistics, 2002). Of these, approximately 26.5 percent are male (NEA, 2001). That is a vast discrepancy
and one children are certainly aware of. Recent studies have shown that teachers tend to favor one gender over the other, typically favoring boys over girls (Wellhousen and Yin, 1997).
Wellhousen and Yin conducted an intense study to determine if gender bias existed in kindergarten classrooms (1997). Their study revealed that kindergarten teachers interacted with boys during reading and discussion
far more often than they interacted with girls (Wellhousen and Yin, 1997). Other studies have also pointed out the unequal treatment of boys and girls in the classroom. Baily, Scantlebury