Academic Achievement

Annae Campbell, Kaheliya White

Humanities

Knox College

Sociology Unit 1

Mr. O. Dempster

November 19, 2021

Statement of the Problem:

● How has gender affected the academic achievement of Grade 11 students

of Knox College?

Aims

● To understand the academic performance of Grade 11 students based on

their gender.

● To ascertain if female educational strategies differ from strategies

displayed towards males in the classroom.

● To uncover the reason/s as to why the gender of Grade 11 students are

instrumental in their learning abilities and achievement.

● To ascertain how differently male and female students are coping with

teaching techniques.

Objectives

● Knox College is a co-educational school for both boarders and day

students. It is located in Spalding in the parish of Clarendon. In 1947 Dr.

Lewis Davidson and Mr. David Bent founded the noble institution. This

traditional high school is named after the man himself John Knox. This 74

years old school is currently led by Mr. Alexander Bourne with

 approximately 150 members of staff, who help the students to achieve

their goals from Grade seven (7) through to Grade thirteenth (13). Red,

Blue and White are the colors that represent Knox College. The motto is

“Niti Servire Neque Cedere” which means, “To Strive, to serve and not to

yield.”

● Academic achievement is the extent to which a student, teacher or

institution has attained their educational goals during the years of school

life. This study on how gender affects the academic achievement of the

grade 11 cohort of Knox College has been a keen interest in our period at

said school. It will provide the parents, teachers, principals and

community members enough information in order to see how to help the

future generation whether it be implementing new techniques or methods

or by educating and raising awareness.

● This information will be used by the principals and teachers to see where

the children are academically. By doing this they can change the

strategies used to help and increase the student’s grade.

Literature Review
This research is based on the principal role that gender has on the academic

achievement of the Grade 11 students. Academic Achievement is the educational

goal/s attained during the school year or period. When high achievement or

performance is mentioned in an institution, in many cases, a girl is the high

achiever and males are not. This may be a result of two situations: poor

encouragement of male students based on societal expectations, or teaching

techniques are gauged towards the comfort of the female student. Knox College

has been a renowned institution for its exceptional teaching methods. This

research will investigate whether the gender of a student plays a role in their

academic performance.

Vena Jules, an educator, extended a study by Dr Peter Kutnick, “Gender and

school achievement in the Caribbean”. Within the research paper, they addressed

the issue of, “gender differentiated achievement.” They explored why females

stayed on in schools and have had better educational achievement scores in

Trinidad, Barbados and St.Vincent. They posited that higher levels of school

achievement by females have been found in secondary schools whereas statistics

from the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) state that females are more

likely to sit the examination; girls are 60% while boys are 40%. Additionally,

girls achieve better in the examinations in subject areas of English, History and

Social Studies while boys achieve better in Mathematics, Business Studies and

Geography.
In addition to this, Chinapoo(2014) purported that women were either measuring

up to or surpassing men. They also stated that the Caribbean had begun to show a

trend of male underachievement. Chinapoo(2014) pointed out that, “a World

Bank report on the Caribbean in 1993 cited in Parry(2000) showed that Caribbean

women are outperforming men at both primary and secondary levels. Chinapoo

also purported that before the 1980s there was a concern about female

underachievement, whereas sons were allegedly prioritized over daughters for

“post-compulsory education”, boys received greater attention than girls in the

classroom, stereotypes of women as being domesticated good wives were

reinforced in games, toys and television. Additionally, Chinapoo stated that bias

was portrayed in school books as they portrayed women in domestic roles.

On the other hand, Chinapoo gave a contrasted relation to the above text.

Evans(2000) stated that, “one’s social identity is crucial to participation in

classroom activities. Boys construct an image of themselves as not interested in

academic work, disorganized and likely to fool around in the classroom.

Additionally, Errol Miller(1991) stated that underachievement of boys within the

school setting may be to the feminization of the education system which is a result

of little to no male role model. This, in actuality, is stating that the classroom

setting is normally occupied by female teachers. Miller also adds that teachers

were unknowingly conditioned to start to treat boys differently from girls from

even the primary days.

In extension to this, an article published by the Gleaner(November 26, 2021)

titled, “Knox scholar silences doubters by acing CSEC exams. Trishelle Gooden,

a former female student at Knox College, was the highest performer at her school

in her CSEC exams, who achieved ten (10) grade ones in chosen subjects. She

outperformed male and female students in the same grade. Many would state it as

a bias; on the contrary though the student could have been great at adapting to all

teaching methodologies. The methodology of a pedagogue may influence the

academic performance of a student.

In conclusion, gender may impact academic achievement of students whether by

bias, the conditioning of a teacher’s mentality, or plainly the methodology of a

teacher.

Research Design

This research was conducted using the mixed research method. The purpose of

this study was to explain how gender affected the academic achievement of grade

11 students at Knox College High School. The intended use of research was basic
as the researchers had an intention of proving questionable data. This research

was cross-sectional as researchers focused on a small population of students at a

particular school.

The researcher utilized the mixed method of data collection which involves the

qualitative and quantitative research procedures. The qualitative method is mainly

used to analyze non-numerical information and it can be used to understand the

behavior of an individual. On the other hand, quantitative research is used to

analyze numerical data and normally entails statistical analysis and chart

representations. The researchers chose four(4) random students from each grade

eleven homeroom- there were eight(8) homerooms and two girls and two boys

were chosen. This research took approximately one month. Not many

disadvantages were faced. The main disadvantage was that observations were

limited due to the Covid-19 protocols so researchers had to remain at a distance

and observe. Also, as it relates to the link between the problem and the institution,

researchers found information that was either vague or not applicable to the topic.
 Sociological Perspective

The quantitative research method is associated with macro approach and is

indefinitely linked to positivism. Positivism is the study of society through a

scientific lens. This proves to be beneficial as it tends to be specific with exact

responses. This is closely related to the Functionalist theory.

The qualitative approach is associated with the micro approach and is linked to

interpretivism which is the method of studying society based on behaviors and

actions. This allows the researcher a first hand perspective of what is being

researched. This is closely linked to Interactionist theory.

Functionalism implies that society depends on school as it is an institution that

contributes to societal stability. Additionally, the interactionist perspective

focuses on the perceptions of pupils by teachers. They view education based on

what is observed in the classroom.

 Sample

According to Mustapha(2013) A sample can be defined as a subset of a

population that is used to represent the entire group as a whole.

The sample size for this study consisted of 21 respondents. The sampling method

employed was random sampling as this method allows for the researchers to take

a non-biased approach so that they can group the totality of the statement of the

problem.
 Data Collection Instrument

Knox College High School

Spalding District

Spalding P.O.

Clarendon, Jamaica

Dear Respondent,

I am a student at Knox College High School currently enrolled in Lower

Sixth form. This survey is being conducted at Knox College High School,

Spalding to investigate how the gender of a student affects their academic

performance.

This research is solely for an Internal Assessment (IA), which will aid the

researcher in the upcoming Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination

(CAPE).

In extension to this, I am cordially asking you to complete a questionnaire

and allow an observation. You are not required or expected to write your name or

additional personal information. All data collected will remain confidential.

Thank you.

Yours respectfully,
 Annáe Campbell

___________________

Kaheliya White

___________________
 Questionnaire

1. Male▢ Female▢

2. Has the methodology of a teacher ever affected your academic

performance? And how?

______________________________________________________

________________________________________________

3. Do you think that boys and girls learn differently?

Yes▢ No▢

4. Why do you think that girls outperform boys?

● unfair treatment from teachers
● the boys lack motivation
● girls are prettier
● boys have a short attention span
● girls are more disciplined

5. In your opinion, are girls’ better learners than boys?

yes▢ no▢

6. Do you think that the teaching techniques used by your teachers

are solely biased towards girls or boys?

girls▢ boys▢ depending on the

subject▢

7. Are boys less focused than girls? Explain your answer

__________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________

8. What subject areas do the boys outperform the girls in your

opinion?

______________________________________________________

______________________________________

9. On a scale of one to ten, how much do you believe that there will

be a balance between boys and girls when it comes to education?

● 1
● 2
● 3
● 4
● 5
● 6
● 7
● 8
● 9
● 10

10. Do you believe that there is bias in the classroom and teachers
favor girls rather than boys, vice versa?
girls rather than boys▢
boys rather than girls▢
11. (For males only) Are you timid to speak in class as a male?

12. If yes, why are males timid to speak in class?

▢I am intimidated by girls
 ▢Teachers do not pay attention my answers
▢I don’t like to be singled out
▢I don’t want to be perceived as girly

13. (For females only) Is it hard to focus when in class with mainly
males? ▢yes no▢

14. (For males only) Is it hard to focus in class with mainly females?
▢yes ▢no

15. (For males only) Do you think your teachers’ pay more attention to
your opposite gender in class?
yes▢ no▢

16. (For females only) Do you think your teachers’ pay more attention
to the opposite gender in class?
yes▢ no▢

17. Is it hard to focus when the opposite gender is in class?

yes▢ no▢

18. (For males only) Would you prefer a single sex school?
State yes or no, and why?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

19. (For females only) Would you prefer a single sex school?
 State yes or no, and why?
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________

20. Do you think that there are changes to be made to the teaching
methodologies?
yes▢ no▢
21. If yes, state why.
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
 Presentation of Data

Why Do Girls Outperform Boys?

Unfair treatment from teachers Boys lack motivation

Boys attention span is shorter than girls Girls are more disciplined

Figure 1.1 is a pie chart depicting responses to the question, “Why do girls

outperform boys?’
 Subject Areas Showing the Per-
formance of Each Gender

30 31
27 26
22

16 16

10

5
2 1 VOC
SCIENCES BUSINESS SPORTS HUMANITIES TECH ENGLISH

Girls Boys

Figure 1.2 is a bar chart depicting the subject areas at Knox College and the

performance of students.
 Why don't males speak in class?

15%
I am intimidated by girls
Teachers do not pay attention
to my answers
15% I don't like being singled out
I don’t want to be perceived
as girly
60%
10%

Figure 1.3 is a doughnut chart depicting responses from males as to why they

don’t speak up or answer questions in class.

 Are Teaching Techniques Biased
towards Girls or Boys?

Girls Boys Depends on the subject

Figure 1.4 is a pie chart illustrating the responses from students to the question,

“Are Teaching Techniques Biased towards Girls or Boys?”

 Analysis of Data

Figure 1.1 is a pie chart that portrays the respondents’ answer to the question,

“Why do girls outperform boys?” Fifteen percent (15%) say its unfair treatment of

teachers, five percent (5%) says the boys are not motivated enough, ten percent

(10%) believes that the attention of a boy is shorter than that of a girl. Lastly,

seventy percent (70%) of the respondents which is most of them strongly believe

that girls are more disciplined in their work.

Figure 1.2 is a bar chart that portrays the performance of students in different

subject areas. Figure 1.2 illustrates that girls perform better than boys in subjects

that require a lot of reading such as: Business, Humanities and English. However,

boys are contrary to this as they outperform girls in the subject areas that are more

technical. Such as: Science and Tech Voc. Both genders are performing at the

same rate in Sports as it is a mixture of both theory and practical lessons.

Additionally, there are different sporting disciplines (netball, football, volleyball,

cricket, basketball, and track & field) that accommodate both males and females.

Figure 1.3 is a doughnut chart depicting responses from males as to why they

don’t speak up or answer questions in class. Firstly, fifteen percent (15%) of

males examined say they are intimidated by girls, fifteen percent (15%) state that

teachers do not pay attention to my answers, ten percent (10%) responded that

they do not like to be singled out. Lastly, sixty percent (60%) responded that they

do not want to be perceived as girly.

 Discussion of Findings and Conclusion

This research was conducted at the Knox College High School to decipher

whether the gender of a students affects their academic performance. All

questionnaires issued were answered and collected. The research revealed that

boys exceled in more technical subject areas such as the sciences and tech voc

subjects. This may be due to their primary socialization as males were raised to

play outside and build objects while girls were more than likely expected to stay

inside and read books.

Additionally, the research revealed that students thought teachers had a biased

approach to teaching in the favor of girls. This may be a result of the feminization

of the education system (Miller, 1991) whereas female teachers outweigh the

number of male teachers in many schools. Hence, majority of the respondents

stated that there is bias towards females.

The researchers had come to a realization as to why males do not participate in

classes. The data showed that most males responded that they did not want to

appear girly in class. The stigma placed around male participation in class has

played a major role in their academic achievement. Many male students believe,

from their primary and secondary socialization, that knowing the answer to a

question and giving a response in class would result in derogatory name calling

such as sissy, inter alia.

The conclusion drawn in this research is that gender does affect the academic

achievement or performance of a student whether it be through the teacher’s

pedagogy, a student’s esteem or through the socialization of a student.

Bibliography