This study sets out to examine the process through which gender is constituted in the English classroom in relation to the teaching of one comprehension lesson at Springfield Model Primary School in KwaZulu-Natal. The study looks at one lesson in-depth and delves into the representations of gender in the lesson. Using qualitative methods and drawing from a comprehension passage entitled, "Shining moon and his toy canoe" (Appendix 1) the study examines the ways in which boys and girls in a grade 7 classroom made sense of the comprehension passage and how that sense-making relates to their understanding of what it means to be male and female. The study shows how resource materials (like the prescribed comprehension, for instance) used in the English classroom articulate young children's knowledge about gender and how they position themselves in the discourses of gender. An analysis and examination of how the learners understood the passage is undertaken, to see how gendered messages were generated within the English lesson. An interview with the teacher was conducted to examine how gender is constructed in the teaching of the comprehensions lesson. Two important findings are highlighted in this study. The text is an important tool through which gender is elaborated. The boys and girls in this study positioned themselves in contradictory ways to dominant perceptions about gender. However, largely they draw on dominant ideas about gender and maintain the status quo. The research also demonstrates further the ways in which the teacher reinforces notions of 'masculinity' and 'femininity', despite her best intentions. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2004.

There is a concern in Lesotho about inequalities in different sectors including inequalities that exist between females and males in schools. Closing the gender gap between males and females, girls and boys is the government's priority, hence the recent Gender and Development Policy, 2002. The project was conducted with the purpose of exploring the reasons that contribute to pupils' gendered performance in mathematics. In this regard, the focus was put on reasons behind girls' poor performance in mathematics. This report presents and discusses the results of a research which was conducted in Qacha's Nek - Lesotho. The project made some observations based on the questionnaire data gathered from four primary schools. The data provided some useful insights into girls' attitudes, behavior and perceptions towards mathematics, and it also provided insights into teachers' attitudes, expectations and perceptions about girls and their learning of mathematics. The research also provided evidence that there are different social factors that contribute to girls' poor performance in mathematics. Some of those factors concern parents, teachers, classroom process, peers and girls themselves. The analysis of the results and subsequent discussion suggests reasons that may be useful in terms of helping to explain pupils' gendered performance in mathematics and in the continued search for strategies that could improve girls' poor performance in this subject. Schools could be creative in the strategies that they can adopt to tackle gender differences. With this in mind, teachers and pupils were asked to suggest possible solutions that could be employed in trying to combat the problem of the gendered performance in mathematics hence noticeable improvement in girls' performance in this subject. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

Social discourses and gender equality policies in South Africa has enabled the entry of significant numbers of women into predominantly male domains of educational leadership. In this study, the lived experiences, of four women heads of department in four historically race classified schools in the Durban Metropolitan area, are explored. This study probes the gendered experiences, in which, race and class are inextricably interwoven, as heads of department in commerce and questions the extent to which their leadership positions are a reflection of gender equality. Based on semi-structured interviews with the research participants (black, coloured, Indian and white), this study argues that despite occupying the status of head of department the research participants still assume gender subjective roles. Although, some evidence exists of changing patterns of these women's lives at different stages, the study reveals that the public and private spheres of work and family are not separate entities; they intersect and impinge, with particular implications for the position of women within the sphere of education leadership. The study reveals that despite an overarching discourse of gender equality, discourses of leadership are primarily about gender, race and class structure in the lived experiences of the participants. The gendered experiences overall was such that they inhibited these women from applying for further promotion. In effect, the study shows that these women, irrespective of being educated and occupying positions of leadership, are still in a state of subjugation and male domination. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Durban-Westville, 2002.

In South Africa women are grossly under-represented in educational management. This study reports on the possible reasons for gender imbalances in positions of leadership at schools. The study uses feminist theories as a lens to understand the various forces that give rise to gender imbalances in positions of leadership at schools. In order to arrive at an understanding of how women managers perceive their under-representation in school management, quantitative data was gathered from 53 women managers in the North Durban Region using the survey questionnaire. This data was used to provide the study with baseline information to pave the way for an in-depth qualitative study. As part of the qualitative study, four respondents were selected using the purposive sampling technique to provide rich data. The data was then collated with the intention of understanding possible reasons for gender imbalances from the perspective of women educators within a broad social, political and historical context. Evidence from the data reveals that while gender equity policies have signaled the need for social justice and transformation of management structures in schools, there appears to be a serious disjuncture between policy and practice. It is apparent that equity policies have failed to address the 'gendered' crisis at grassroots level. Men's dominance in educational management and the numerical marginalisation of women remains a hurdle. Data reveals that women are highly qualified, highly skilled and intrinsically motivated, and yet grossly under-represented in management structures in schools. The women managers in this study reflected on the gender stereotyping that pervades both their personal and professional roles. They recommend the creation of organisational cultures at schools that reflect a commitment to gender equity. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Durban-Westville, 2003.

Gender is a social construction. Society presents us with acceptable models of masculinity and femininity, and these teach us how to be masculine or feminine in a sense. We learn how to be as women and men through some sort of social conditioning, although we have some agency to resist such normative constructions. This study sets to explore how boys and girls responded to dominant constructions of gender in a rural primary schooling context. The idea was to explore ways in which boys and girls colluded with and/or challenged constructions that "boxed‟ them into particular versions and constructions of feminity and masculinity. A qualitative case study located within the critical paradigm was used. Poststructural feminist theory was used as a lens to understand how participants responded to the dominant constructions of gender. Participatory methods of generating data were used to address the key research questions, namely, transect walks, mapping, non-participant observations, and document analysis. The existence of alternative discourses in the voices of participants helped us to understand how boys and girls constructed, negotiated and performed gender in the context of the research study. Findings revealed that participants' views represented processes of constructing, reconstructing and negotiating their gendered social identities. This was not a static process. It was a confluence of fluid processes of pushing boundaries and challenging stereotypes and coded messages characterising dominant definitions and expectations of femininity and masculinity. However, on the other hand, it was a mixture of interrelated acts of submitting and colluding with dominant constructions of femininity and masculinity. In essence, with regards to participants' responses to dominant gender constructions, there existed a criss-crossing of competing discourses some of which had more powerful influences on participants, making the act of challenging dominant gender discourses a complex affair to construe. / Thesis (M.Ed)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 61-68). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 167-172).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Education, 2000. / Bibliography: leaves 369-398.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Western Sydney, Nepean, 1991. / Cover title. Presented in partial fulfillment for the degree of Master of Education. Bibliography: leaves 34-37.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Western Sydney, [2002]. / A thesis submitted to the University of Western Sydney in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Bibliography: leaves 139-170.