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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Boys and girls in science: does the gender composition of the school matter?
Author:Opare, James A.ISNI
Year:1996
Periodical:Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research (ISSN 1013-3445)
Volume:8
Issue:1
Period:March
Pages:27-44
Language:English
Notes:biblio. refs.
Geographic terms:Ghana
West Africa
Subjects:gender relations
technical education
education
science education
sex distribution
Abstract:In response to the challenges posed by the generally low enrolments in science at the secondary and tertiary levels of education, and the persistently low participation of females in scientific studies and careers, the present study seeks to answer two main questions: Are Ghanaian secondary school boys and girls equally predisposed to the physical and applied sciences? Does the sex composition of the schools students attend make a difference in their intentions to major in the physical and applied sciences at college? Data for the study were collected in 1994 from a random sample of 624 final year senior secondary school students in a school district in Ghana with nine senior secondary schools, four of mixed sex, two for girls, and three for boys. It was found that boys are more likely than girls to choose physical and applied sciences for their college majors. Furthermore, the boys in boys' schools are more likely than any other group to choose science majors in Ghana. Contrary to previous studies, however, girls in coed schools appear to be slightly more likely than their counterparts in girls' schools to choose physical and applied science majors. Bibliogr., sum.
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