Thesis (M.A.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2008. / Title from PDF of title page (viewed July 10, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 76-81).

The disparate numbers of boys and girls who elect to continue with mathemalics and/or physical science in the higher slandards of the school system has recently attracted much research atlention and the complexity of the interrelaledness of causal factors has become obvious. The broad aim of the study was to investigale the significant drop-out rate of girls at the end of the junior secondary phase of education (approximate age of fourteen lo fifteen). This was to be carried out for mathematics and physical science and undertaken using a cross-sectional and a longitudinal study. The cross-sectional study entailed administering mathematics and physical science attitude questionnaires to 3531 standard six, seven and eight pupils from 4 co-educational, 2 allgirls' and 2 all-boys' schools, from middle and upper socioeconomic communities with similar language and cultural backgrounds . The longitudinal study involved pupils from two coeducational schools and one all-girls' school. It was a progressively-focused study starting with questionnaires administered to 358 standard six girls and boys, narrowing down to questionnaires and interviews used with 50 girls and 28 boys in standard seven and finally to interviews with 10 girls from standard eight. The parents of these ten girls were interviewed at the end of the study. The attilude questionnaires yielded strong sex differences which favoured the boys in both subjects for all the attitudes measured and also pointed to a progressive deterioralion of altitudes over the three-standard span. They also established significant differences in attitudes which favoured the pupils from Single-sex schools. It was further concluded that the girls were more strongly guided by their attitudes when making their subject-choice decisions. In the longitudinal study, reasons were suggested for pupils either taking or dropping mathematics and physical science. The introduction of algebra in the first year of high school presented a problem to pupils. In physical science, electricity was singled out as giving the subject a male bias. Socialization influences in the home were the main issue dealt with from the parent interviews . Sex-roles and stereotypes were dealt with in depth. Recommendations were made involving classroom strategies, curriculum possibilities, school policies and further research

This project is a discussion of the continuing need to address gender issues while teaching core curriculum in English classes at the secondary level.

The current study investigated relationships that may be crucial to women's decisions to persist in math and science-related college majors.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Women are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math fields (STEM), especially in higher levels. Researchers term this phenomenon "the leaky pipeline." While the issue is well-documented in the literature, little is known about its antecedents. The current study offers insight into factors that relate to career choice and contribute to the lack of diversity in STEM fields by investigating how sense of belonging and psychological capital (PsyCap) influence important psychological, academic, and career outcomes for women in these fields. Female undergraduate STEM majors were recruited for participation at two times during the fall academic semester (N=182 at time one, N=86 at time two) and data were analyzed using correlation and regression. Results provide support for the influence of both sense of belonging and PsyCap as important correlates of an individual's academic and career making decisions. Specifically, PsyCap mediated the relationship between belonging and well-being and belonging and career outcomes of engagement and participants' intentions to apply to graduate programs in an unrelated major. In addition, PsyCap moderated the relationship between sense of belonging and participants' intentions to switch majors and intentions to apply to graduate programs in a field unrelated to their current major. An increased understanding of the factors that contribute to the leaky pipeline in STEM will serve as a basis for developing further research questions and targeting interventions.

This study investigated whether girls achieve better results in Physical Science in single sex environments or in co-educational classes. Thirteen independent South African schools where children were of similar socio-economic background were considered. Grade 12 Matriculation Physical Science examination results for 1999 to 2003 were analysed using Bonferroni (Dunn) t-Tests and Scheffe's Tests. Questionnaires were completed by a small number of students in order to compare their attitudes towards Physical Science and examined qualitatively. There were significant differences found by the administration of the Bonferroni (Dunn) t-Tests and Scheffe's Tests in 2000, 2001 and 2002 to indicate that girls in single sex schools achieved better results in Science than the co-educational schools. However, in 1999 and 2003 there was no significant difference in the results achieved, and so there may be other factors that are more important predictors of achievement than whether the schools are mixed or single sex. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Natural Science Teaching)

Gender stereotyping is a phenomenon found in all spheres of life. School children often have to bear the brunt of these prescribed roles and stereotypes. This study includes a literature review of the characteristics of a professional educator as well as the theoretical background on gender issues. It employed Participatory Action Research as a strategy with the aim to empower teachers to improve their classroom practice, and ultimately, to improve the teaching-learning dynamics for learners in the science and technology classrooms. The participants, who are science and technology teachers, are vastly different people whose one common goal it was to empower themselves and to change their classroom practice on a continuous basis. The study looks at some of the beliefs these teachers now hold after the intervention for promoting gender equality in the classroom. Science and technology are the domains of historically male-dominated fields, and by means of this study I aim to equalise the learning opportunities for both boys and girls. / Comparative Education / M. Ed. (Comparative Education)

The prevalence of emotional and behavioural problems in secondary school adolescents is regarded as widely spread globally. Their effects/pitfalls are also a concern that cannot be ignored. Thus, this study dealt with this issue among adolescents, as well as with pitfalls and practices of secondary schools in Ethiopia, with particular focus on East Showa Administrative Zone of Oromiya National Regional state. Consequently, the study intended to: -examine what social competence problems (activity problems, social activities problems and academic performance problems) are experienced by secondary school adolescents of Ethiopia. -determine the relationship between sex groups and social competence problems by secondary school adolescents of Ethiopia. -examine the trends of emotional/internalising and behavioural/externalising problems among secondary school adolescents of Ethiopia. -determine the relationship displayed between sex groups and emotional/internalising and behavioural/externalising problems by secondary school adolescents of Ethiopia. -examine the relationship display between age groups and emotional/internalising and behavioural/externalising problems by secondary school adolescents of Ethiopia. -comprehend the relationship among social competence problems and syndrome problems by secondary school adolescents of Ethiopia. To address the objectives of the study, a descriptive survey and correlational study were employed. To achieve this target, the Amharic and the Afan-Oromo versions of Achenbach’s (2001) youth self-report (YSR) were used to collect data from 714 research participants of secondary school adolescents out of 27,643 in the East Showa Administrative Zone of Oromiya Regional State-Ethiopia, from 8 secondary schools. In analysing the data, basic descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentages, percentiles and T-scores as well as ANOVA were employed. In general, the results of the study demonstrated that the prevalence of emotional and behavioural problems of Ethiopian secondary school adolescents was relatively lower (about 9%) in comparison to many other countries. Moreover, girls showed more internalising problems (11.58%) than boys (9.63%) and vice versa in externalising problems. Consequently, girls accounted for 8.6% who fell into a clinical category whereas amongst boys, 14.83% were classified into such as category. In contrary to the other findings males were scored higher than females in withdrawal/depressed subscales (4.23% and 2.74% respectively). Furthermore, statistically significant relationships between academic competences with activities, social activities, somatic complaints, social problems and externalising problems were discovered. Fulfilling and rendering appropriate guidance and counselling services in the schools comprised the first dimension of the recommendations of this work. Furthermore, establishing school based mental health services to alleviate the problems is another key point of the recommendation to assist adolescents with emotional and behavioural problems in secondary schools of Ethiopia. / Psychology / Ph. D. (Psychology)

This study investigated whether girls achieve better results in Physical Science in single sex environments or in co-educational classes. Thirteen independent South African schools where children were of similar socio-economic background were considered. Grade 12 Matriculation Physical Science examination results for 1999 to 2003 were analysed using Bonferroni (Dunn) t-Tests and Scheffe's Tests. Questionnaires were completed by a small number of students in order to compare their attitudes towards Physical Science and examined qualitatively. There were significant differences found by the administration of the Bonferroni (Dunn) t-Tests and Scheffe's Tests in 2000, 2001 and 2002 to indicate that girls in single sex schools achieved better results in Science than the co-educational schools. However, in 1999 and 2003 there was no significant difference in the results achieved, and so there may be other factors that are more important predictors of achievement than whether the schools are mixed or single sex. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Natural Science Teaching)

Gender stereotyping is a phenomenon found in all spheres of life. School children often have to bear the brunt of these prescribed roles and stereotypes. This study includes a literature review of the characteristics of a professional educator as well as the theoretical background on gender issues. It employed Participatory Action Research as a strategy with the aim to empower teachers to improve their classroom practice, and ultimately, to improve the teaching-learning dynamics for learners in the science and technology classrooms. The participants, who are science and technology teachers, are vastly different people whose one common goal it was to empower themselves and to change their classroom practice on a continuous basis. The study looks at some of the beliefs these teachers now hold after the intervention for promoting gender equality in the classroom. Science and technology are the domains of historically male-dominated fields, and by means of this study I aim to equalise the learning opportunities for both boys and girls. / Comparative Education / M. Ed. (Comparative Education)