Education in Africa 
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| Title: | Engendering school learning: science, attitudes and achievement among girls and boys in Botswana |
| Author: | Duncan, Wendy A. |
| Year: | 1989 |
| Issue: | 16 |
| Pages: | 222 |
| Language: | English |
| Series: | Studies in Comparative and International Education (ISSN 0348-9523) |
| City of publisher: | Stockholm |
| Publisher: | Institute of International Education, University of Stockholm |
| ISBN: | 9171467548 |
| Geographic term: | Botswana |
| Subjects: | schoolgirls science education secondary education |
| Abstract: | This study examines and explains gender disparities in education in Botswana in terms of gender stereotyping. A partial least squares (PLS) path analysis is used to analyse data collected in 1983 from a national survey of attitudes and school achievement among secondary school students. The study focuses upon the example of science. Clear and consistent gender-typing of attitudes towards gender roles, occupations and school subjects is evident among both girls and boys. Gender role ideology is a significant factor in the achievement process, especially for girls. Socioeconomic background is more influential for boys. Girls and boys with feminine gender role identities tend to perform worse in almost all school subjects, including science. Furthermore, both girls and boys show a strong tendency to regard science and science careers, as well as school science, as masculine areas of activity. Among boys, the gender-typing of school science as male has a small positive influence upon science attitudes and performance. For girls, however, it has a small negative influence. The fact that it is the gender-typing of school science, rather than of science in general, which depresses the achievement of girls suggests that the school plays a significant role in the gender-typing process. Another finding implicating the school is the consistent negative association between femininity and achievement, which implies that many girls are being forced to choose between competence and their femininity. |