Harmonising the Gender Gap:Inclusion, Improvements and Equalities in the Arts.

21281009Caroline Laythorpe

University of Southampton

Abstract

In February 2009, OFSTED released a report stating that, for

the first time, there are more boys signing up to GCSE music

than girls. This is a case study on one school to test the

claim, see how this is reflected by the students and how boys

and girls feel about their freedom of creativity in school.

Where science and technology is considered masculine and arts

subject as feminine, this survey investigates the students’

ideas of arts subjects, what enjoyment they get out of the

practical nature of these subjects and if performance boosts

their self-confidence. There is also an investigation into

the possibility of single-sex performance classes to minimise

performance anxiety in teenage girls and maximise their

results.1

Contents

Introduction

2

Literary Appraisal

3

Research Design

6

- School Background

- Methodology

Findings 9

Conclusion

23

References

25

Appendices

27

2

Introduction

In February 2009, OFSTED released a report stating that, for

the first time, there are more boys signing up to GCSE music

than girls (2009, p.23), yet girls, however, are still

obtaining higher grades than their male peers. In schools,

there is a ‘general underachievement of boys in music’ (Wright

2007, p.202) and this stereotype of success amongst boys and

girls has lasted throughout years of secondary education.

Wright (2001), Green (2002) and Harrison (2007) all agree that

the gender gap has been a long argued topic in music

education, especially when it comes to singing. Music, dance,

art and drama, four curriculum subjects which collectively

make up ‘The Arts’, have traditionally been considered girls

subjects and are opposed to the more masculine sciences and

mathematics (Skelton et al 2007, p.vii). Without focussing too

steadily on one subject area, this project aims to explore the

arts as a faculty and how gender bias is dealt within the

department and also in others.

The OFSTED report paints a picture of a pendulum motion in Key

Stage 4 recruitment of boys versus girls. This report will

3

shape the major hypothesis supporting this study.

Objectively, the aim of this project is to observe one

school’s approach at diminishing any notion of ‘gender gap’

and offering more opportunities for both female and male

students in a traditionally ‘female’ faculty. By reading

and analysing previous authors’ research, I hope to ascertain

the current context of gender differences in schools and the

main factors which have influenced events. Using this

knowledge, I plan to observe, interview and question the staff

and year 9 and 11 students at the school with regards to their

experiences. Then I will present my findings and conduct a

further period of analysis to see if the data proves the

theories whilst summarising the possibility of further

improvements.

4

Literary Appraisal

When considering gender in secondary schooling, understanding

how young people find their own individuality and sense of

self is crucial when trying to be inclusive. Arts subjects

are unique in the opportunities they give to young people to

be creative with many different types of media. Through

education in the arts, boys and girls can find new ways of

expressing themselves and, as a result, their linguistic

performance improves (Wright, 2001, p.275). Referring back to

OFSTED’s claim mentioned earlier, the higher male intake could

be a reflection of two factors: the typical music department

is no longer run by women, and the GCSE syllabuses have

changed so there is little or no need to be able to read

musical notation. Both these factors are encouraging for

boys, thus enabling those who can’t afford private

instrumental lessons to get involved with music at a higher

level. Wright finds in her study that the strong practical

aspect encourages boys into the arts, building a syllabus on

their strengths and preferences (2001, p.290).

5

The increase of ICT use throughout the national curriculum has

enabled more students to gain opportunities for learning

(Armstrong 2008, p.375). There is a new balance found as

music compositional tools, such as Sibelius and Cubase, and

artistic programmes, such as Paintshop Pro, are introduced

which can be accessed by both genders. Armstrong finds that

these ICT programmes ‘liberate’ composition and design, and

the technology itself is by no means a problem for female

students, but ICT still has its limits through perception.

Boys in their engagement with technology and mastering new

technology are symbolised as being technically skilled whereas girls are

positioned as less technologically expert... It’s not the technology that is

the problem for women but the cultural context in which it is used.

(Armstrong 2008, p.384)

What Armstrong means is that the social experience in school

generally favours boys’ use of ICT over girls. Boys share an

interest in computer games and new technology which is driven

more towards the scientific nature of education (Armstrong

2008, p.384). Girls, on the other hand, will favour pop

artists, singing and fashion which leads into an interest in

the arts (Ashley 2008, p.2-4). Theoretically Armstrong and

6

Ashley are both right, however broad these generalisations

are, as their research favours the traditional stance of

masculine sciences and feminine arts. These notions can still

be taken on board, nonetheless, as the increase of ICT use in

all subjects enables a wider pedagogy to occur regardless of

the tentative gender limits.

Where, generally, the girls are still obtaining higher grades

than boys, there is a need for ‘recuperative masculinity’ in

the arts (Ashley 2008, p.2). Harrison agrees, stating there

has been an ‘age-old problem’ with males in music, be it

recruiting them for choirs and orchestras or the feminine-

masculine divide in instrument preferences (2007, p.268).

Ashley, however, finds that teachers who have significant

subject knowledge can successfully include both male and

female students (2008, p.14) but, more often than not, male

teachers tend to go for more ‘boy-friendly’ songs and music

(2008, p.3). He also mentions the benefits of exclusions,

whereby setting young people for musical activities such as

singing, where the obvious changes in voice occur between the

genders. Other exclusions noted by Ashley are that of the

7

popular music genre. The music business stereotypically

boosts young male music makers into the spotlight and prevents

young females, reducing them to idolising pop fans (2008,

p.4). The last fact that should be taken into account is that

girls mature earlier than boys. Girls usually feel self-

conscious when working with or around their male peers and are

reluctant to answer questions, perform or showcase their work

to the rest of the class. For a fully inclusive and improved

classroom, all the above has to be taken into account and the

teacher needs to be sympathetic to the needs of every student.

This self-consciousness felt by girls when performing in front

of boys occurs in many subjects and cannot be helpful to their

education. Losing out on performing time, or reluctance to

take part in whole class activities, can be detrimental to the

learning outcomes of that particular lesson. In the arts,

especially, a student is unfairly judged by his or her peers

on their ability to perform to an immeasurably high standard.

In music, students are compared to the artists in the popular

charts. In art comparisons are made to the paintings by the

historical ‘greats’ which adorn the walls. Dance and drama

students are judged against what they see on the television.

8

There is no way we could expect our students to attain these

standards and yet the media writes the judgement for us. The

end result is girls who are so fearful of getting it wrong

while the boys take an opportunity to show off.

Boys possess a quality which essentially is a ‘competitive

edge’ (Quoted in Hutchings et al 2008, p.136). This

competitiveness can be used by teachers to inspire young males

into achieving their full potential in school. Hutchings

notes that ‘policy-makers’ (British Government, DfES, TDA and,

to some extent, influences from the media) have inspired boys

through their taste for football (2008 p.135-7) and

subsequently set up a number of boys’ schools throughout the

UK which link education with football1. Physical Education

(PE) in schools is taught in both single-sex and mixed-sex

classes, and football is generally taught to both boys and

girls, but in single-sex groups. As PE is a subject in which

students are expected to perform, does this, therefore, open

up an opportunity for single-sex arts classes? These single-

sexed groupings in PE also match the teacher and student by

1 For example, City of Portsmouth Boys’ School is linked to Fratton Park football stadium.

9

gender. Research has been conducted to find out if paring

teacher and student by gender has an influence on the

education of young people in other subjects (Francis et al 2008).

It is widely believed that boys from single-parent (lone

mother) families are a ‘lost generation of fatherless young

men [who need to] find their way in life’ (Quoted in Hutchings

et al 2008, p.136). It is believed that recruitment for male

teachers, in all subjects and key stages, needs to increase so

that these teachers become role models for boys in education

(Hutchings et al 2008, p.135). There is also counter-research

to say that ‘matching teachers and children by gender and

ethnicity has little impact on attainment’ (Francis et al 2008,

p.23).

Does, then, the teacher make an impact on the child at the

time? The above research points questions from many angles

and I hope the research will find some answers. What happens

in a school with a significant difference in number of boys

and girls on roll? Does the school need to focus on inclusion

of female or male students? Is there a shortfall of either

gender in the arts? How can we make the girls and boys enjoy

10

these subjects equally? And how can we captivate them and

hold their attention to ensure they get the best out of their

creative education? Are the ‘girly’ subjects now being

accepted by boys? Are the staff or the syllabuses tailored

for the students? Does the gender of the teacher make a

difference? Is there gender equality in the arts education?

Is the gender gap improving? Ultimately, through the answers

to these questions, the findings should provide methods in

place to ensure all boys and girls get the best out of their

education in the arts.

11

Research Design

The intention in this project is to find out how boys and

girls feel about the choices they make when it comes to taking

arts subjects at the end of both KS3 and KS4. By answering

questionnaires and interviewing some students there should be

a good overview of how boys and girls experience arts lessons,

what they enjoy the most and what they feel about their

teacher.

School Background

This report takes the form of a case study on a city school in

the south of England. The school is located between an

affluent area of the city and a council housing estate. There

are 1000+ pupils on roll with a 6:5 ratio of boys to girls.

The school has an above average proportion of students from

minority ethnic groups where the largest groups are from

Indian, African and white (other) backgrounds. The EAL

proportion is high too; with the number of spoken first

languages at 43 and approximately one in five students only

speak some or very little English. The GCSE results are below

12

the regional and national averages (see Table 1) and OFSTED

criticised the school for its lack of EAL provision. In

September 2006, 53.9% students in the school’s catchment area

actually enrolled at this school (SCC, p.3). In the nearby

area there are two girls’ schools, one of which became co-

educational in September 2008, which could explain the reason

for low female intake. The school operate on a fortnightly

timetable with six 50-minute lessons per day and the timetable

is split so years 7, 9 and 11 take their break and lunch at a

separate time to years 8 and 10. There is a different

integration of year 7 students in the school: the students

stay in their tutor base for the majority of their lessons.

English and maths teachers, for example, visit the classes and

the students rarely leave their rooms. It is only for largely

practical subjects where the students move around, for example

the arts, science and physical education.

2007 2008

School 33 % 37 %

Regional 39 % 42 %

National 47 % 48 %

Table 1: GCSE achievements of 5 or more A*-C grades.

13

Methodology

The empirical nature of this study means research can

undertake a form of student and teacher questionnaires,

classroom observations and structured interviewing. A wide

range of sampling will be used to collate data across the

department and the age ranges. Statistical data will be

gained from school reports and will compare the effect of

gender on achievement in the arts subjects. The arts faculty

is divided into four departments and is housed in its own wing

of the school. There are eight classrooms, including one

music media suite, a sprung floor dance studio and three art

studios. Each of these departments will be researched in turn

via department heads, teachers, students and the school

census. The following information was gathered by meeting

with each of the department heads.

Art: There are three female art teachers and one male art

technician. At KS3, year 7’s do not take art and years 8 and

9 have three lessons per fortnight. There is an equal intake

of boys and girls in art at KS4. The curriculum is tailored

14

for the needs of the individual; girls tend to go for mixed-

media projects such as textiles and sculpture whereas boys go

for contemporary art such as spray painting and stencilling.

Music: The music curriculum in the school is delivered by two

male teachers. The department also benefits from visiting

instrumental teachers, both male and female, teaching a total

of 80 lessons per week. Year 7 students visit the music

department once a fortnight, year 8 and 9 are three times per

fortnight. At KS4, there are more boys than girls in both

years 10 and 11. The music curriculum has changed in recent

years, making the course 50% composition coursework and 25%

performance. Traditionally, girls in the school have favoured

coursework subjects, but the dismissal of standard notation

reading in the syllabus has encouraged boys to sign up.

Drama: The staff consists of one male full time teacher and

one part time female teacher (who splits her full time hours

between drama and English). Like music, the year 7 students

visit the drama department once a fortnight and the year 8 and

9 students have three lessons per fortnight. Their curriculum

15

is crossed with that of the English department as the students

get to realise the works of Shakespeare and more modern

contemporary writers. In KS4 there is a 6:4 ratio of girls to

boys and the ability is quite varied from highly gifted and

talented students to low ability students who had to take

drama to fill their options timetable.

Dance: The department has one female dance teacher who takes

an active approach to including boys. She teaches a variety

of styles and aims for inclusion and mixed-sex performances,

choreographing the performances to include both genders. Year

7 only have dance in one half term during PE and years 8 and 9

have two lessons per fortnight. Like drama, there is an extra

period per week for year 9 students on the options timetable.

Following on from the questions posed above, I created one

questionnaire for eight classes; one key stage 3 and one key

stage 4 class in each of the four subjects, art, dance, drama

and music.

1. Did you choose to do this subject?

2. How do you feel about this option?

16

3. How much do you enjoy this subject?

4. Do you feel that you get the opportunity to be artistic and creative in this class?

5. Do you enjoy group work in class?

6. When you work in a group, do you work with...? Boys / Girls / Mixed-sex

7. Is your subject teacher male or female and do you think this makes a difference in what you

have studied?

8. What are your favourite topics you have studied in this subject?

I decided to keep the questions the same for all eight groups

for consistency. Even though some year 9 students don’t have

a choice with their classes, it would be good to see how they

felt about being ‘put into’ a class. Most questions, with the

exception of questions 6 and 8, are multiple choice answers.

This is to make it easier to collate the data and compare it

against the other answers.

17

Findings

Below are the pupils’ responses to the questionnaire that I

sent to eight arts classes. The majority of the students

asked responded to the questionnaire. Out of 140 students

asked, seven abstained, all of whom were in year 9. The data

collated was transferred to master copies for each class and

divided by gender. The summative data was then recorded in

excel and analysed using charts below. The master copies were

also given to the class’ regular teachers for comments.

1. Did you choose to do this subject?

The OFSTED report stated that more boys were choosing GCSE

music as an option than girls. The findings in this study

concur with the OFSTED report and it extends to the other arts

subjects with the exception of dance. In Chart 1 below, boys

are peaks above the girls, showing a higher number of students

opting for these subjects.

18

Chart 1: KS4 option choices in the arts subjects.

There are only three students who did not choose these options

and so I spoke to the students who answered ‘no’ to find out

why this was. These students were recent immigrants and felt

they were placed in the class to fill up their timetable. In

dance, there was a difficulty in collating data from year 11

students as their GCSE exams had taken place during this study

and so the students were unobtainable. I questioned the year

10 class instead, which proved to be healthier for this study

as the class included a male student, as opposed to the year

11 class of only female students.

19

Not surprisingly, the year 9’s who answered the same question

responded with more ‘no’s as the arts subjects are not

optional in year 9. The greatest of these is the music

students who all said no. Chart 2 shows these differences and

the red bars illustrate that some showed willing to do the

subject. At first glance, it looks like the boys want to take

the subject more than the girls, but the school population has

more boys than girls. For example, in art, even though there

are four boys wanting to do the subject and five girls who do

not, there are a total of nine boys in the class; four more

than the girls. What’s to say that if you added four more

girls into the class, they would or would not want to take

art?

The validity of this question, therefore, has to be measured

against the ratio of boys to girls in the school, 6:5.

Returning to the GCSE subjects, in art there are 11 male and

11 female respondents, this is an even ratio and the boys’

choice still outweighs the girls, albeit by one student. In

dance there are more girls opting than boys so this is

irrelevant. In drama there are 10 boys and six girls who all

20

chose to take the subject. This equates to a ratio of 5:3

(10:6), which means that more boys are still choosing drama

than girls, based on the school population ratio. In music

there are 12 boys and eight girls which results with a 3:2

(6:4) ratio which is also more boys than girls based on the

school ratio.

Chart 2: Year 9 choices in the arts subjects.

2. How do you feel about this option? &

3. How much do you enjoy this subject?

When asked if the students wanted to do the subject they were

being surveyed on, most replied that they wanted to do it.

21

But comparing the answers to the next question, these answers

seem to go hand in hand. All students may have wanted to take

an arts subject at the end of year 9, but might feel like they

made a bad choice when they come to realise what the workload

is like now they are near taking their GCSE exams.

Chart 3: Year 11 option choices in the arts subjects.

22

Chart 4: Year 11 enjoyment of their option choices in the arts subjects.

In art, even though some students felt like they were ‘put

there’, all have commented that they enjoy the subject. The

sole male dance student said he didn’t get into his first

option subject and so took his ‘safety option’ of dance. He

also commented that it was difficult being the only male

student in this class. In drama and music all students but

one stated they wanted or don’t mind doing the subject, which

leaves students who dislike the subject.

4. Do you feel that you get the opportunity to be artistic and creative in this class?

This question tells us where the girls are generally achieving

more. Remembering the school population ratio, there are more

boys being left behind in terms of creativity in all subjects.

23

Where the answers to question 1 proved the theory of boys

taking more artistic subjects, this question will link into

the girls achieving higher grades.

Chart 5: Year 11 opportunities of creativity in the arts subjects.

In Chart 5 we should be looking at the blue bars rather than

the purple and green. More boys than girls stated that they

don’t get much opportunity to be creative in their classes.

This is not matched up by the girls’ responses, so clearly the

girls feel more like they can be artistic. In arts education,

if the student feels as if he or she cannot be creative, this

generally means is they haven’t understood the task or

subject. This in turn can lead to poor motivation, lack of

24

coursework and result in a lower grade. Comparing this to the

mixed ability classes in year 9, the results in Chart 6 show

there is a greater difference in ability through the

understanding and ‘opportunities’ of creativity in these

classes.

Chart 6: Year 9 opportunities of creativity in the arts subjects.

5. Do you enjoy group work in class?

6. When you work in a group, do you work with...? Boys / Girls / Mixed

In all arts subjects there is an element of group work. There

is the one exception of year 11 art as all the work is

individual and structured around building up a portfolio. As

girls mature earlier than boys, they also have this self-

consciousness which could hinder their participation in the

25

classroom and their learning overall. Starting with year 9,

Chart 7 below shows how the best part of the students enjoys

group work. The majority of girls in year 9 music had a

problem with group work, but mostly they all had a problem

with performing in front of the class. I asked some of the

girls why this was and the responses were ‘the boys make fun

of us’ and ‘we’d much rather perform to you, Miss, than Sir’

implying that the gender of the class teacher does pose a

problem. What is also worth noting is that, as students have

the freedom to choose who they work with, there are no mixed-

sex groups in any of the year 9 arts classes.

Chart 7: KS3 group work.

26

Chart 8: KS4 group work.

In year 11, the majority again enjoy group work, save for the

lone boy in dance, one boy in music and a few females in drama

and music. When asked, the girls in music said they liked the

opportunity to get on with their own work. Out of the sample

studied, there are mixed-sex groups in year 11 arts classes

but not many; two in music and one in drama. The music groups

were mixed for performance because of the instruments they

played, but the students still worked well together. In drama

the mixed-sex group worked as proactively as any other group

in the class. As the art students do not work in groups, I

surveyed the class to see if the students were sitting and

socialising in mixed-sex groups. All students except for four

girls were mixed gender.

27

The change between the year 9 students and the year 11

students in terms of who they choose to work with is clearly

visible. The year 9 girls all suffer from some sort of

performance anxiety which hinders their performance in class.

Following on from the idea that year 9 arts classes might

benefit from a similar boys / girls / mixed format as usually

happens in a PE class, I went to the PE department to check.

In indoor team sports, like basketball and badminton, the

students work together in their mixed-sex classes. In outdoor

sports, like football, netball and athletics, the students

divide into single sex groups. Based on what I observed in

class and after speaking with the year 9 girls, it would seem

the year 9 students would get more out of their performance

education in a single-sex / mixed sex setting, as in PE.

7. Is your subject teacher male or female and do you think this makes a difference in

what you have studied?

In the art and dance departments all the teachers are female.

In the music department both the teachers are male. In drama

the year 11’s are taught by a male teacher and the year 9’s by

a female teacher. Not many students thought that the gender28

of their teacher made a difference to what or how they were

taught, although there were some comments. The year 11 female

in music said specifically that male music teachers know more

than female ones. The music department has been predominantly

male for five years, her whole time at the school, so I do not

know which experience she is referring to. The two male

responses were somewhat nondescript with reference to the

teachers’ handwriting or knowledge on a certain subject.

Chart 9: KS4 students who feel that having a male or female teacher makes any

difference to the way they are taught.

In year 9 there is a big noticeable change in opinion. In art

both the boys and girls mentioned that the variety in the

subject was the reason for their choice. Both responses from

29

the boys in music were unremarkable, stating that ‘you learn

more.’ The most noticeable difference is the boys in drama

but there was only one explanation as to why; ‘[she] knows how

to act.’ Some of the drama students said they had both a male

and female teacher, so this could explain the big difference.

Chart 10: KS3 students who feel that having a male or female teacher makes any

difference to the way they are taught.

The legitimacy of the boys’ answers in drama was questioned by

their regular teacher. She told me, when I presented her with

the results, that the boys had misbehaved in the previous

week’s lesson stating that they didn’t like drama and they

didn’t see the point. The teacher thought that for the boys

see an outsider come in and question them if they like drama

30

they have developed a unified loyalty to their teacher which

has become manifest in these answers.

8. What are your favourite topics you have studied in this subject?

The aim in this question was to find out if boys have a

tendency to go for different topics than girls. The head of

art discussed with me, before I undertook the surveying, that

they tailor the GCSE programme to suit both genders as boys

tend to favour different styles and methods to the girls.

Year 9 boys in art preferred the graffiti mural project much

more than the girls, who preferred doing collages. This

echoes into the year 11 responses also. The boys prefer

graffiti while the girls enjoy mixed media and pop art. In

dance the year 9 preference throughout was for street dance.

This style of dance is common in popular music videos, and so

is understandably interesting to young people. In year 10 the

interest for street dance is still prevalent from both boys

and girls, but the girls also enjoy contemporary dance too.

In drama there was a much greater response to this question

than the girls. The boys favoured the conscience alley and

melodrama whereas the few girls who responded enjoyed31

melodrama also. In year 11 the students all enjoyed studying

and performing their own version of Blood Brothers. I asked

one of the students why this was and he replied that it was

good to be working as a whole class and everyone had their own

part not only in the play, but also in the production. I also

asked a girl for her perspective and she replied in a similar

vein stating that they all really like the play anyway. In

music the responses from the year 9 class to this question

were really disappointing. Most of the students chose not to

answer the question and the few that did, mentioned the

projects that they were currently doing. I asked some of the

students why this was and the reply was generic ‘because I

don’t like music.’ Lastly, the year 11 boys said they

preferred performance and the girls said they preferred

composition. This is an interesting find, as the research

beforehand states that one reason more boys take up music at

GCSE is because of the technology used in composition. This

does, however, link into the group work question earlier where

the year 11 girls prefer to get on with their own work, e.g.

composing at the computer, and the boys prefer group work,

e.g. group performances.

32

Throughout all these responses, which can be found in the

appendix, there is a tilt between what the boys and girls

favour. For example, boys enjoy graffiti more than pop art

and vice versa for the girls. This is conclusively and good

move by the school to include all students in the arts by

offering a varied course which includes all students and takes

gender into account.

Overall, the questionnaire and interview method worked well

for finding out answers and providing a useful tool for

analysis. In collecting this data there were the shortfalls

that need be overcome. The topics that the students enjoyed

most have been carried through from KS3 to KS4, for example,

graffiti art and street dance. However, the questions posed

were asking students about what is happening now. This is not

helpful to finding out what they want to happen. An additional

question such as ‘what other topics would you like to study or

study further?’ would be useful. This further line of

questioning could help inform heads of departments what their

year 9 students would like to do in years 10 and 11.

33

Conclusion

Initially, the OFSTED report stated more boys are signing up

to GCSE music than girls. In this school that has proven to

be the case despite there being a significant difference in

number of boys and girls. Underlying that concept,

nonetheless, is the need to find out if the is school being

inclusive. Does the school need to focus on inclusion of

female or male students? The findings here have certainly

pointed towards the fact the school is offering more

opportunities for both genders. The observations of classes

being taught showed that teachers in each subject would offer

their time to students, regardless of gender, to make sure

that student was included in the class and had something he or

she could do. The syllabuses are tailored for the students

and this results in classes where girls and boys enjoy these

subjects equally. Clear teaching and delivery needs to occur

to captivate students and hold their attention. Naturally,

some students feel ‘left behind’ and is it essential that they

get the best out of their creative education. In this study,

that was mostly the boys who felt ‘stuck’ creatively.34

The boys’ competitiveness outshines the girls’ needs in

classes. Students end up unfairly judged and the results of

year 9 girls and lower than those of the boys. These self-

conscious girls have lost all willing and do not take part in

the class. Performing with or in front of boys is clearly

something that makes these students feel uncomfortable. Even

the gender of the teacher made a difference for one class of

students. The gender equality in arts education resolves

itself by year 11, so is the gender gap improving? Yes, over

time, but this isn’t helping our pubescent girls now. Therein

lies scope for further research on performance anxiety and the

advantages or disadvantages of exclusive performance education,

similar to that in physical education.

There were, naturally, some problems with conducting the

research for this survey. There were students who refused to

answer questions and there were students who mis-understood

the questions. This is par for the course and has to be taken

into account when surveying groups of people, regardless of

age or gender. The limits here is that only eight classes

35

were interviewed. In the GCSE classes, there are few students

in each class as a matter of course. With the exception of

dance, there were two GCSE classes in each year, and the

survey could have been opened up to accommodate all of year 11

and all of year 9 for a wider range of answers.

In summary, there are more boys than girls taking arts subject

in this school. It remains to be seen if that extends out to

other school. With the introduction of new technology it is

entirely possible. However, at this school it was the girls

who preferred the use of technology over the boys. The girls

are achieving higher grades through their own creativity and

the tailored courses they are taking at GCSE, but the options

for boys in the arts are more easily accessible with these

varied schemes of work. The self-consciousness of girls and

the competitive drive the boys have is more prevalent in year

9 than in year 11 and this could be further researched and

include single-sex classes, role models and teacher – pupil

matching.

36

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38

Appendices

39