Does a teachers gender affect educational attainment?

1. Does a teachers gender affect educational attainment? Simon, Leanne, Annette, Kira & Alex

2. Did you know... • 80% of teachers in public schools are women? • Pupils make more effort with male teachers because they see them as fair? • Male students typically keep on talking until they had finished. • Policymakers in countries such as Finland, Scotland, England & Canada have voiced concerns about the under-representation of men in teaching?

3. Outline • Does gender influence attitudes? • Are boys and girls treated differently in the classroom? • Are teachers unconsciously susceptible to stereotyping? • Discussion – is having a same sex teacher beneficial to pupils? • Conclusion

4. Does gender influence attitudes? • Male and female teachers have different methods of bonding with their pupils. • On the whole, high attainers expressed more positive attitudes towards school. (Biggart, 2010)

5. Are boys and girls treated differently in the classroom? • Girls prefer to learn through co-operation. • With a female teacher boys are more likely to be seen as disruptive. • Teachers use erotic capital.

6. Are teachers unconsciously susceptible to stereotyping?

7. Are teachers unconsciously susceptible to stereotyping? (2) • Subrahmanian (2002) found that teachers and the curriculum in general reinforce social bias. • According to Sadker & Sadker many teachers operate with preconceptions

8. Discussion- whether having same sex teachers is beneficial to pupils. • Do you think having a teacher of the same sex helps children’s attainment and attitudes towards school?

9. Conclusion • The educational system, not only reinforces gender roles but also the stereotyped attitudes towards gender stereotypes. • There is conflicting evidence to whether having a same-sex teacher has a positive impact on children’s educational attainment.