Gender Related Issues in the US: Exploring Gender equality and equity in the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics and Sc

1. Gender Related Issues in the US: Exploring Gender equality and equity in the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics and Science By Professor Irene Osisioma iosisioma@csudh.edu

2. The objectives To Explore gender related issues in teaching, learning, research and ICT in the US. To present evidence of existence of gender inequity in the US To determine what is responsible for gender inequality and inequity To determine where females stand in terms of mathematics and science To find out what the US has done so far to reduce or perpetuate gender inequality and inequity Explore the situation in African countries To highlight lessons for UEMOA

3. The premise There can be no sustainable development as long as discrimination of one of the two sexes/genders exists. The injustice created by inequalities based on gender/sex discrimination threatens in the long run not only the discriminated gender but the entire society. -UNESCO-Beijin, 1995 In order to ensure sustainable development, it has become imperative to recognize the importance of the two sexes (male and female) as complementary biological entities and moreover, to respectful equity and equality of each of the two genders, i.e., of the social roles that men and women assume in their lives. All citizens should have equal opportunity to participate in the development of their nations economy. STEM is the tool for developing and sustaining every nation�s economy

4. GENDER EQUALITY AND EQUITY DEFINED Gender �equality� implies equality between men and women �based on the concept that all human beings, both men and women, are free to develop their personal abilities and make choices without the limitations set by stereotypes, rigid gender roles and prejudices. Gender equity means fairness of treatment for women and men, according to their respective needs. This may include equal treatment or treatment that is different but which is considered equivalent in terms of rights, benefits, obligations and opportunities.

5. Gender related ISSUES IN THE US Even though gender gap has narrowed considerably, the plague is still in existence in America. The gender related issues in the US include: Gender bias in student/teacher interactions; The participation and achievement of girls in mathematics and science; Students enrolling in and completing vocational education courses historically non-traditional to their gender; Gender bias in standardized tests; Gender differences in learning styles; Teen pregnancy and parenting; Sexual harassment of students by their peers; and Gender differences in academic achievement.

6. EVIDENCE OF GENDER INEQUITY Male students are known to receive greater attention from their teachers by way of acceptance, praise, criticism, and remediation than do their female Student-teacher interactions in science and Math classes are biased toward males. Males are more likely to be assigned to high ability groups in group activities and are asked more higher order questions than do females Women constitute half of the United States workforce, but only twenty six percent of the science and engineering workforce On average, females get better grades than males at all levels of schooling but score lower than males on Math and science standardized tests administered to 11th and 12th graders Significant differences in learning style preferences between males and female.

7. Situation in the us Marked difference in academic achievement between males and females of all ages in the United States of America. Achievement gap increases with age for students going through to post-secondary education and has occurred for over 50 years. Little or no differences at younger age, gap continues to widen with age In the 1970s and 1980s, data showed that female students were trailing behind males in a variety of academic performance measures, specifically in math and science. In the last twenty years, female students have been shown to outperform male students that females are receiving higher grades in the classroom.

8. Situation in the us US Department of Education report National Reading Assessment 2004 Slight difference in 4th grade, but at 12th grade males fell 14 points behind females 2008 females continued to have higher average reading scores than male students at all ages and the gap between male and female was 7 points for 4th graders and 11-points for 12th graders, National Assessment of Writing Skills females scored on the average 17 points higher than males in 4th grade. The average gap increased to 21 points by 8th grade and widened to 24 points by senior year in high school

9. Situation in the us In 2007 female students continued to score higher than male students, though margins closed slightly from previous assessments. The average score for female 8th-graders was 20 points higher than males, who went down 1 point from the 2002 score. For 12th-graders, females outscored males by 18 points as opposed to 21 points in 2002 National Report Card Transcript Study Females have higher Grade Point Average (GPA) than males since 1990. In 2005, the average GPA of a high school female was 3.09, while that of a male was 2.86 This gap has widened since 1990. Female graduates have higher GPAs than males in every core subject.

10. Situation in the us Mathematics and Science Females have been reported to typically have better grades in mathematics classes, but tend to score lower on standardized mathematics tests; NAEP report shows that these differences are non-existent at young ages (i.e. elementary school), but increase greatly with age; These differences doubled in favour of males for 9-year olds to 17-year olds; SAT and AP: Males do better in the mathematics and science portion of SAT with scores ranging from 33 points in biology to 59 points in physics and the AP calculus examinations; More females participate in AP science and mathematics courses yet are not performing as well.

11. Situation in the us Female students are more likely to take less of mathematics and science courses required for college, While males are more likely to take advanced courses beyond the basic requirements. Females express more negative attitudes toward both mathematics and science than do males. The average proficiency for males in science was 10.2 points higher than those for females at age 17. In mathematics, the average proficiency for males was 3.4 points higher than those for females at the same age.

12. Situation in the us In 1991 AP Exams, males reported higher mean scores than females in mathematics/calculus AB and BC, biology, chemistry, physics, and computer science; For College Board Achievement tests, males consistently average higher scores in all mathematics and science related subject areas, and typically score four percent higher than females on calculus and 6 percent higher on science; In 2006 Scholastic Aptitude Test for new freshmen male students outperformed females by 41 points on the mathematics section and by 6.7 points on the verbal section respectively, a consistent pattern over the last 20 years.

13. The situation in africa Dearth of disaggregated data for gender related issues in almost all higher education institutions in Africa When these reports abound, they are usually on issues not related to academic achievement. Evidence of large gender disparities between females and males in higher education institutions. Schools have yet to become major engines of gender transformation in these nations. �Sexual violence in schools is endemic� and that, females were being attacked by their teachers, peers, and family members Sexual harassment of females by males is regarded as part of growing up

14. The situation in africa

15. Gender Equitable Educational Practices Enactment of Title IX of The Education Amendment(gender equity policy) Institutional Strategies Making resources available to schools, teachers and students Providing regular professional development training for teachers Providing necessary support for administrators and teachers Classroom Strategies Using strategies and language that discourage bias Planning and implementing research-based effective gender-inclusive instructional strategies Planning gender inclusive curriculum Creating a culture of discussion and interaction in the classroom

16. Gender Equitable Educational Practices Encouraging students to be involved in decision-making Encouraging students� engagement in extracurricular activities Using experiential strategies in the classroom Using learning materials equitably Engaging parents in their children�s� education Getting unobtrusively involved in students personal lives Using strategies that discourage stereotyping Increasing female students participation through technology integration. Intentionally discussing the issues of equity in class from time to time

17. Institute of Education Sciences practice guide for teachers Academic abilities are expandable and improvable. Provide prescriptive, informational feedback Expose girls to female role models who have succeeded in mathematics and science. Create a classroom environment that sparks initial curiosity and fosters long-term interest in mathematics and science. Provide spatial skills training. Increase the self-Esteem of females and promote their development of positive attitude.

18. Lessons for uemoa and other African nations Policy, School and Classroom Practice, and Support Enacting policies that will promote gender equity and equality across all levels of schooling Plan gender inclusive curricula Teachers should use gender inclusive, research-based pedagogical strategies Measuring and monitoring student achievement especially in mathematics and science subjects; Offering after-school programmes that assist females to improve their performance;

19. Lessons for uemoa and other African nations Developing extra coaching and mentoring programs for female students in mathematics and science; Providing teachers with resources and training to strengthen gender-inclusive curricula; Increasing resources that support technology transfer, e.g. computers and internet access; Form alliances/partnerships with elementary and secondary education stakeholders to begin to address gender inequity issues.

20. Lessons for uemoa and other African nations Improving school security to disallow potential sexual harassment and abuse; Designing out-of-school activities in safe environments to promote mathematics and science education; and Mainstreaming the school curriculum in such a way that gender equality and equity are upheld, while access to mathematics and science education for females are sustained. Teacher Education and Professional Development Teacher training institutions should train teachers and administrators on gender inclusive pedagogical practices including curricula implementation On going professional development should be mandated for teachers

21. Lessons for uemoa and other African nations Further Research Preponderance of USA �based gender research Dearth of African-based gender research especially on teaching and learning of math, science and ICT There is an urgent need for gender-based research especially in the teaching and learning of math, science and ICT at all levels of education.

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