Bad boys and good girls? Patterns of interaction and response in whole class teaching.
This digest found in
Gender
How was the study designed?
The research took place in a 'pyramid' of 12 first schools, 3 middle schools and one high school, in both urban and rural areas. The schools drew from a variety of social classes. Observations were made in 36 classrooms, six in each of the following year groups- Years 1, 4, 5, 8, 9 and 10.
Years 4 and 5 were chosen as they marked the exit from and entrance to first and middle schools. For a similar reason, Years 8 and 9 were selected as these years marked exit from middle school and entrance to high school. Year 10 was selected as it was not possible to focus on Year 11 due to pressures of examination preparation.
In each class, a high-achieving boy and girl together with an under-achieving boy and girl were selected for observation. (It should be noted that there was not a cohort of average ability pupils included in this research.) The children and their class teachers were also interviewed, using similar questions to ensure consistency.
Structured observational schedules enabled researchers to record how often the four children in each sample were seen engaging in a variety of interactions. These exchanges included both verbal and non-verbal interactions. Observations were made in either whole class situations, or where the children were working as individuals, in pairs or in groups. The categories for observation identified by the researcher included:
- joins in collective response;
- puts hand up; and
- answers after invitation.
