Research Proposal

Sadia Alvi
Independent Research GT
2018-2019

Research Title: ​Breaking Gender Roles: A Deeper Look into Gender Bias in Education

Overview of Research: ​The purpose of this research is to discover the many reasons for the
gender inequity and stereotypes within classrooms, specifically how teachers may be
implementing those stereotypes within their class. Additionally, this research will go towards
finding reasons for the underrepresentation of females in the STEM field and why this is an
important issue today.

Background and History of the Issue

Gender bias and expectations can have a momentous impact on boys and girls, and as science
related achievements are decreasing, the gap between accomplished girls and boys are
increasing. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, between 1978 and
1990, 4.1% of eighth grade male students had higher scores than females, and by 1990, this
percentage was raised to 5.5%. The National Science Foundation also found that there have been
less women graduating in classes such as science and engineering, and because they tend to take
fewer mathematical and scientific courses, they become less likely to have those jobs in the
future. Boys and girls who have taken the SAT exemplify these gender roles. In the U.S, it was
reported that in the 40,000 young students who took the SAT, the math scores displayed a
significantly higher mean and larger difference for males than observed for females. The male
and female consisted of the following ratios: 2:1 for adolescents with SAT-mathematics score of
at least 500, 4:1 for scores that were at least 600, and 13:1 for scores that were at least 700.

Studies show that the teachers casual teaching plays a considerable role in the accomplishments
of boys and girls, and although men and women may be sitting in the same classroom, they are
unintentionally getting different education. While many teachers strongly believe they treat all
students equally, this is hardly ever the case. For example, teachers institute more interactions,
both positive and negative, towards boys rather than girls.They tend to call more frequently on
boys who are competitive and aggressive, which is a stereotypical act for a male to do. Even if a
girl were to become aggressive, it would be seen as an act of indecency towards femininity.

Problem Statement and Rationale

Gender bias between males and females are extremely important because it not only affects
students at a young age, but can impact their future and career paths. I myself am a girl enrolled
in several technology classes and have seen these gender roles become prevalent. Currently, I am
enrolled in the class, Principles of Java GT, and within about thirty students, there are only four
girls, which I see as a major issue.

Research Methodology
● Research Question and Hypothesis
○ What are some ways teachers express bias based on gender and how does it
impact students?
○ In public schools, women take less technological and mathematical classes
because their teachers unintentionally reinforce gender bias within their
classroom.

● Basis of Hypothesis
○ I focused my hypothesis on all girls in public schools because of the lack of
technology and math based classes they are enrolled in and it seems to be a very
prevalent issue compared to males in these classes. Additionally, my literature
search findings will most likely support this prediction because there are many
studies that have already been conducted in which is was proven that women are
not enrolled in many of these classes, and it may be because of how teachers
interact with their students.

● Research Design
○ I will be conducting causal-comparative research. I will conduct surveys in which
I will ask for the participants gender and how many technology and math based
classes they are taking to see if gender affects those classes. I will look through
already existing data to discover whether or not teachers do have an effect on
what classes boys and girls take. This will be a combination of qualitative data
from looking at existing research articles and quantitative data from the surveys of
which I will conduct.

● Operational Definitions
○ Gender Bias​: When using this term as stated in the background paragraph, I am
referring to the unfair differences and advantages one gender may receive over the
other as well as any major stereotypes one may have about a person specifically
due to their gender.
○ Classroom Discourse​: When using this term to explain how teachers may be
implementing these gender roles in their own classroom, I am referring to the
communication the teachers have in their classes. This can include simply how
the teachers speak with their students as well as how they specifically interact
with their students, like calling on them after raising their hands.
Product Overview
● Following the year of study, the researcher will publish the article encompassing their
findings in a local newspaper. This product was chosen because the purpose of the
research is to inform more people in the community about the issue of gender bias, and
since many people read newspapers on a daily basis, they can easily read it and gain new
information.
● The intended audience of the product will be high school students as well as teachers.
Directing it to professionals is unreasonable because they are most likely already
educated about how the issue of gender bias and its causes. Rather, the research will be
directed to high school students because most are probably uninformed about the topic
and can learn something new, which is the research’s intent.

Logistical Considerations
One logistical consideration for the research is that surveys may be bias or inaccurate if those
who are surveyed are too similar in some way. For example, if the survey about all high school
students had only those of a certain grade level, the evidence would not be accurate because it
doesn’t truly encompass everyone in highschool, rather it would only be conclusive for that
grade. Therefore, it is important to make sure surveys have a diverse group of participants of
different ages, grade levels, and races.

Student Signature:______________________________________________Date:___________

GT Resource Teacher Signature:__________________________________Date:___________

Mentor Signature:______________________________________________Date:___________