UNFAIR BIAS AGAINST BOYS BY FEMALE TEACHERS
Recent research in the UK clearly shows that one of the reasons for boys’ under-achievement is the fact that they lower their sights when they think a female teacher is going to mark their work and give them 3% lower marks than they give to girls.
The boys’ suspicions have been proved correct by UK research carried out by the Centre for Economic Performance, an arm of the London School of Economics. Professor Alan Smithers, a leading academic researcher, said the findings were fascinating. The wide research was carried out among 1200 children in 29 British schools.
It also revealed that girls tried harder when they had a male teacher because they thought he would give them better marks, 6% higher than if they were marked by a woman. The girls’ suspicions were not borne out, however, as the male teachers gave them exactly the same marks as external examiners.
Obviously then, with 80% of UK teachers being female, the whole educational system is heavily biased against boys. The need for the UK government to recruit a lot more male teachers, and pay them a bonus if necessary, like they are paying to science teachers, is an urgent matter.
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