Girls neglected in co ed classes, research finds

TEACHER neglect of female students in co educational classes is leading to low self esteem and, alienation among girls in spite of their higher academic performance, according to new research.

In the classroom, teachers tend to interact more with boys, by praising them or accepting and answering their questions, the research carried out by Dr Maire Ni Chathain and Dr Sheelagh Drudy of St Patrick's College, Maynooth, has found.

As a result, girls have a "relatively impoverished" experience in the classroom, both in terms of the quality and quantity of interactions with teachers. The authors say such interactions enhance the self esteem of pupils.

The findings were presented at an EU conference, Gender Equality for 2000 and Beyond which opened in Dublin Castle yesterday.

The research was conducted by audio and video taping the teaching practice of student teachers attached to Maynooth's education department since 1991. A total of 136 classrooms and 3,217 pupils in the Leinster area were surveyed.

The authors say that given the time and attention given to them, boys should feel very secure and comfortable in the classroom climate created by the teacher - often unconsciously - for them, in this climate, intellectual challenge was deemed appropriate for boys, while academically able girls were under challenged intellectually.

In addition, teacher acknowledgment and affirmation of female contributions was "meagre" relative to the reinforcement given to male contributions.

Teachers reported girls to be shy", reserved", quieter", "not as willing to put their hands up", relative to boys.

"If girls experience on a daily basis a classroom climate in which they are effectively ignored by not being invited or encouraged to participate actively . . . it is not so surprising that the cumulative effect of such experience would result in passivity, lack of confidence, feeling inhibited or even alienated from the work in hand," they say.

Almost half the student teachers said the pattern of their interactions with students was due to the fact that boys were more demanding or louder. One quarter conceded that they were more likely to ignore a girl and direct questions to boys.

Asked for their comments, some respondents said they were "shocked" at the amount of time they spent with male pupils relative to girls. Another wrote: "I believe male domination in the classroom is quite the norm in coeducational schools. Only through conscious effort to include the `girls' can they benefit fully from the co educational school system."