Does Gender Play a Role in Academic Success?
Does Gender Play a Role in Determining Academic Success?
We all know the obvious difference in boys and girls. Typically, we associate boys with being rougher than girls and spending much of their time playing rambunctiously and getting dirty while most girls prefer to be subdued and tidy. But is that the only dissimilarity in gender? What about school work and academic performance along with academic success? Can gender be a predominating factor in determining a child’s IQ level? Is there a legitimate difference in boys and girls when determining academic ability? And, does gender help determine any level of academic success? Some might say that these are some pretty absurd questions but others who have taught both boys and girls in any realm of subjects, on any level could tell you that there is probably some relevance to that question. Those who have studied in both the field of psychology and education could tell you that there is a definitive link in gender to academic performance however; arguably whether gender plays a role in obtaining any level of academic success is being examined further by many academic researchers. In this paper, I will discuss several articles, a book, and one T.V. report shedding light on what some say is problematic to the future progress of boys and detrimental to our culture. So, the question remains: Does gender really affect our capacity to learn or predetermine our level of academic achievement?
These studies and statistics from several resources I have outlined show that gender is, inevitably, a measurable factor when discussing classroom learning styles and teaching methods. One study conducted by Thomas Bartlett and published in The Chronicle of Higher Education, titled The Puzzle of Boys, discusses the difference in learning styles among boys and girls. Bartlett raises the same question most academic researchers have examined in recent years which is: What makes boys learn differently than girls? He points out
We all know the obvious difference in boys and girls. Typically, we associate boys with being rougher than girls and spending much of their time playing rambunctiously and getting dirty while most girls prefer to be subdued and tidy. But is that the only dissimilarity in gender? What about school work and academic performance along with academic success? Can gender be a predominating factor in determining a child’s IQ level? Is there a legitimate difference in boys and girls when determining academic ability? And, does gender help determine any level of academic success? Some might say that these are some pretty absurd questions but others who have taught both boys and girls in any realm of subjects, on any level could tell you that there is probably some relevance to that question. Those who have studied in both the field of psychology and education could tell you that there is a definitive link in gender to academic performance however; arguably whether gender plays a role in obtaining any level of academic success is being examined further by many academic researchers. In this paper, I will discuss several articles, a book, and one T.V. report shedding light on what some say is problematic to the future progress of boys and detrimental to our culture. So, the question remains: Does gender really affect our capacity to learn or predetermine our level of academic achievement?
These studies and statistics from several resources I have outlined show that gender is, inevitably, a measurable factor when discussing classroom learning styles and teaching methods. One study conducted by Thomas Bartlett and published in The Chronicle of Higher Education, titled The Puzzle of Boys, discusses the difference in learning styles among boys and girls. Bartlett raises the same question most academic researchers have examined in recent years which is: What makes boys learn differently than girls? He points out
References: ABC news 20/20 investigation. (2010) Making the Grade: Girls lead in Education. March 17, 2010. American Association of University Women. (2008) Where the Girls Are: the Facts About Gender Equity in Education. The American Association of University Women Journal. June 24, 2008. Austin, John. (2007) Where the boys aren’t: Women dominating college enrollment. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 28, 2007. Bartlett, Thomas. (2009) The Puzzle of Boys. The Chronicle of Higher Education. November 22, 2009. Gurian, Michael. (1997) The Wonder of Boys. New York, NY: Penguin Putnam Inc. Pollack, W. (1998). Real boys: Rescuing our sons from the myths of boyhood. New York, NY: Random House, Inc. Sommers, Christina. (2001). The War Against Boys: How Misguided Feminism is Harming Our Young Men. New York, NY: Touchstone.