An Empirical Study on Gender Bias in School Education

2001 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 11410043
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 社会学(含社会福祉関係)
• Research Institution: TOKYO GAKUGEI UNIVERSITY
• Principal Investigator: MURAMATSU Yasuko Tokyo Gakugei University, Faculty of Education, Professor, 教育学部, 教授 (30239545)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): KAWANO Ginko Yamagata University, Faculty of Education, Associate Professor, 教育学部, 助教授 (10282196) ; FUJIWARA Chika Musashino Women's University, Faculty of Contemporary Society, Associate Professor, 現代社会学部, 助教授 (60249042) ; TAKAHASHI Michiko Tokyo Gakugei University, Faculty of Education, Professor, 教育学部, 教授 (70107712) ; 高平 小百合 玉川学園女子短期大学, 教養科, 助教授 (80320779) ; NAKAZAWA Chie Tokyo Gakugei University, Faculty of Education, Lecturer, 教育学部, 講師 (00272625)
• Project Period (FY): 1999 – 2001
• Keywords: Gender / Gender blas / School education / Science education / Science study / Science / Junior high school students

Research Abstract

This empirical study aims to analyze the gender bias issuer s in school education by using an example of middle school science classes. Questionnaires were responded in the first year by 961 seventh graders from nine public schools all over the nation and in the second year by 869 eighth graders from eight schools out of nine in the first year. The first survey was also conducted in 22 public and private schools in the Tokyo metropolitan area to clarify the differences by school characters. In the third year, teachers of the schools were interviewed.
The data analysis focused on factors including gender differences, students' preferences for science, changes from 7^<th> graders to 8^<th> graders, self-evaluated grades, and differences among schools such as if they have entrance exams and if coed or not. The main findings include the following :
(1) Students' interests in nature and scientific phenomena show gender differences according to topics. (2) In terms of science study, girls tend to be more interested in biology-related topics while boys in physics-related topics. (3) The gender differences in their preferences for science and understandings tend to expand between 7^<th> grade and 8^<th> grade. Girls particularly tend to grow less interested in science. (4) Gender differences in attitudes or views toward science as a whole shrink between 7^<th> grade and 8^<th> grade, but girls tend to show more negative attitudes toward science study. (5) In science experiments, boys tend to play central roles while girls tend to focus on preparations and taking records. (6) Stijidents' likes and dislikes toward different subjects show gender differences except in English. Boys show stronger connections between their likes/dislikes toward science and self-evaluated general grades. (7) Girls in female schools than those in coed school tend to engage experiments more actively, while they tend to think male students are stronger in science.