Gender Matters In Science Learning

Abstract

This study started with the question of girls participation in science and to understand the newline experiences of girl students in science classrooms. However, immersion in the field brought in newline the crucial need to locate science learning within the larger socio-political and economic newline context. Notions of science, education, and aspirations are constructed not only through newline pedagogy and families and but also through various socio-economic conditions. The complex newline interplay of various factors such as family, class, gender, occupation of parents, the urban lives, newline school, pedagogy and curriculum, social and economic factors seem to shape the learning newline experiences and career choices. The present study attempts to bridge the classrooms, textbooks newline and larger issues that shape learning experiences. newline This study is exploratory in nature. As this study tried to understand girls experience and their newline learning opportunities in the school context, qualitative ethnographic approach was chosen as newline it would help to dwell deeper and analyse the factors that shapes the experiences. This study newline indicates the methodological approach to studying science in school context. The nature of newline science, the feminist approach and Walkerdine s research on mathematics learning which this newline study has used indicates how gendered narratives can be traced in the context of learning. The newline research points to how various theories such as that of Bernstein and concepts of recognition newline and realisation, classification and framing can be employed. Aspirations and subject choices newline are analysed through Bourdieu s idea of cultural capital and Walkerdine s concept of newline impossible fictions . newline By locating the study in classrooms this research tries to offer a nuanced understanding of the newline content of science textbooks and their transaction. The idea of objective, universal truth is newline constructed in the textbooks. This is done by representing and teaching science as facts, laws, newline definitions and theories with rarely any place for views, opinions and subjectivities. Pedagogic newline processes in the classroom, use of questions by teachers, differentiated teaching and newline interactions in classrooms presents how boys are taught and made to realise indicating the newline gendered notions. Classroom discourse and interactions construct and reproduce gendered newline capabilities of learning science. The ideal and good constructed in the classroom seem to newline be guided by the notion of merit, performance and efficiency. newline Students aspirations and subject choices are located and analysed in the context of social newline positioning of the family. Though girls have high aspirations, this study finds that their newline narratives are located in domesticity and traditional notions by textbooks, teachers and families. newline iiThe urban lives and aspirations seem to create new subjectivities and gender. Girls are expected newline to perform well and have high aspirations. Both the expectations and aspirations for girls seem newline to be changing. At the same time there are certain stereotypical notions and families decide newline what girls could choose. The aspirations for girls are such that they are educated enough and newline play a supportive role if need be. The students background and learning and foregrounds are newline distinct and polarised. newline In situating the learning of science within the contemporary economic context, this study newline attempts to understand the imagination of science education itself. This research points out newline that the discussion on nature of science need to be explicit and this has to find an important newline place in the curriculum. It stresses that the science curriculum has to recognize social justice as newline its important aim. Key questions for reflection among teachers regarding nature and method of newline science, their perceptions and notions about gender can be identified and raised during teacher newline training which this research points to. The teacher training along with redesigning of newline curriculum and textbooks might help the learners to engage with science effectively. newline