The Attention “Blame Game” is Bogus

Society is to partially blame for gender stereotyping-it defines how we make sense of the world and how we view ourselves. (Mathis, http://www.tokyoprogressive.org.uk/gale/articles/mathis.html)  Educational critics have been debating back and forth recently whether males or females are victims of over- or under-compensation.  Pro-male camps have cited that males have many more issues to deal with in school (violence, substance abuse, dropping out) than girls, but recent revelations have cited that the “previously hidden” issues of girls (eating disorders, self-abuse, sexual harassment, violent verbal abuse) are just as influential on girls’ performance as the boys’ issues.  Men are well represented in athletics despite the complaints of cuts in male athletics due to Title IX, and more money is spent on football programs in high schools and colleges than any other sport across the country, even though they create a bigger deficit than profit in most cases. (http://www.aahperd.org/nagws/titleix/pdf/DebunkingTheMyths.pdf)  Males continue to dominate science, math and technology classes despite efforts to present more opportunities to female students.

Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) Programs are Biased

“Research has proven that girls have developed an appreciably different relationship to technology than boys, and that as a result, technology may exacerbate rather than diminish inequities by gender as I become more integral… into curriculum.”(Vandrick, 2003, www.tokyoprogressive.org.uk/gale/articles/vandrick.html)  Males and females view the computer in different ways.  Males view the computer as a fun, recreational tool.  Females view the computer as an instrument for task completion.  Software manufacturers have picked up on these cues and have developed software based on these stereotyped assumptions-guys get fun, intricately developed strategy games (Warcraft, Halo) and women get games focused around make-up, shopping and dating (Sims).  Since there is little interest on the part of women in computers, companies are not willing to spend the money on research and development into what interests women and how they can improve their software to meet women’s needs.  (The University of Illinios Urbana-Champaign, http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/wp/access/gender.html) So, most computer software is created for male needs and interests, fueling their motivation to learn, but leaving women in the dust.

Testing is an Issue for All

Not many students love to take tests, but testing anxiety can be eased if tests are designed to meet the needs of both male and female students.  Males prefer tests with “concrete” answers (multiple choice) while females prefer tests that require more thought and creativity (written exams).  Fewer males than females attempted the Advanced Placement (AP) exams in 1998 (Hadaway, Online Reading, Section 6.6), but a higher percentage of males than females pass AP tests and SAT / ACT exams. (Vandrick, www.tokyoprogressive.org.uk/gale/articles/vandrick.html)  Tests that best address each genders’ needs are a mix of both testing styles.