Becky Francis – författare

Girls are now out-performing boys at GCSE level, giving rise to a debate in the media on boys' underachievement. However, often such work has been a 'knee-jerk' response, led by media, not based on solid research. Boys, Girls and Achievement - Addressing the Classroom Issues fills that gap and:*provides a critical overview of the current debate on achievement;*Focuses on interviews with young people and classroom observations to examine how boys and girls see themselves as learners;*analyses the strategies teachers can use to improve the educational achievements of both boys and girls.Becky Francis provides teachers with a thorough analysis of the various ways in which secondary school pupils construct their gender identities in the classroom. The book also discusses methods teachers might use challenge these gender constructions in the classroom and thereby address the 'gender-gap' in achievement.

Girls are now out-performing boys at GCSE level, giving rise to a debate in the media on boys' underachievement. However, often such work has been a 'knee-jerk' response, led by media, not based on solid research. Boys, Girls and Achievement - Addressing the Classroom Issues fills that gap and:*provides a critical overview of the current debate on achievement;*Focuses on interviews with young people and classroom observations to examine how boys and girls see themselves as learners;*analyses the strategies teachers can use to improve the educational achievements of both boys and girls.Becky Francis provides teachers with a thorough analysis of the various ways in which secondary school pupils construct their gender identities in the classroom. The book also discusses methods teachers might use challenge these gender constructions in the classroom and thereby address the 'gender-gap' in achievement.

Challenging current theories about gender and achievement, this book assesses the issues at stake and analyses the policy drives and changing perceptions of gender on which the 'gender and achievement' debates are based.This new topical book guides the reader through the different theories and approaches, drawing together and reviewing work on gender and educational performance. The authors also highlight the continuing problems experienced by girls in terms of achievement and classroom interaction. The subjects covered include:perspectives on gender and achievementthe construction of gender and achievement in education policyevaluating boys’ underachievementthe future for boys and girls?raising achievement: 'What works in the classroom?'Teachers, education professionals and students engaged in teacher training will welcome the editors' objective yet critical expertise.

Challenging current theories about gender and achievement, this book assesses the issues at stake and analyses the policy drives and changing perceptions of gender on which the 'gender and achievement' debates are based.This new topical book guides the reader through the different theories and approaches, drawing together and reviewing work on gender and educational performance. The authors also highlight the continuing problems experienced by girls in terms of achievement and classroom interaction. The subjects covered include:perspectives on gender and achievementthe construction of gender and achievement in education policyevaluating boys’ underachievementthe future for boys and girls?raising achievement: 'What works in the classroom?'Teachers, education professionals and students engaged in teacher training will welcome the editors' objective yet critical expertise.

This book provides a valuable route map to the development of thinking in gender and education over the last fifteen years. It includes over thirty-five seminal articles from the journal Gender and Education, written by many of the leading authors in the field from the UK, the USA, Australia and Europe.Compiled by the current editors of the journal to show the development of the field, the book is divided into six sections:* Gender Identities * Theory and Method * Policy and Management * Sexuality * Ethnicity * Social Class.The specially written introduction by the editors contextualises the selection and introduces students to the main issues and current thinking in the field. Available in one easy-to-access place, this authoritative reference book provides a collection of articles that have lead the field. It should find a place in every library and on every departmental bookshelf.

Providing fresh insights and understandings about educationally ‘successful’ minority ethnic pupils, this book examines the views, identities and educational experiences of those pupils who are undoubtedly ‘achieving’, but who tend to remain ignored within popular concerns about under-achievement. Combining a broad analysis of minority ethnic pupils’ achievement together with a novel, detailed case study of an educationally ‘successful’ group, the British-Chinese, this book examines a fascinating angle on debates about the reproduction of social inequalities. In this thought-provoking and highly accessible book, the authors:review the theoretical and policy context to issues of ‘race’, gender, social class and achievement discuss the role of teachers and schools explore Chinese parents’ views of their children’s education and explain how these families ‘produce’ and support achievement investigate British-Chinese pupils’ views on their approaches to learning and their educational identities examine the relationship between aspirations and educational achievement consider the complexity and subtlety of racisms experienced by ‘successful’ minority ethnic pupils.This timely and authoritative book contributes to the ongoing debates about levels of achievement among minority ethnic pupils and is an essential book for all researchers, students, education professionals and policy-makers.

Providing fresh insights and understandings about educationally ‘successful’ minority ethnic pupils, this book examines the views, identities and educational experiences of those pupils who are undoubtedly ‘achieving’, but who tend to remain ignored within popular concerns about under-achievement. Combining a broad analysis of minority ethnic pupils’ achievement together with a novel, detailed case study of an educationally ‘successful’ group, the British-Chinese, this book examines a fascinating angle on debates about the reproduction of social inequalities. In this thought-provoking and highly accessible book, the authors:review the theoretical and policy context to issues of ‘race’, gender, social class and achievement discuss the role of teachers and schools explore Chinese parents’ views of their children’s education and explain how these families ‘produce’ and support achievement investigate British-Chinese pupils’ views on their approaches to learning and their educational identities examine the relationship between aspirations and educational achievement consider the complexity and subtlety of racisms experienced by ‘successful’ minority ethnic pupils.This timely and authoritative book contributes to the ongoing debates about levels of achievement among minority ethnic pupils and is an essential book for all researchers, students, education professionals and policy-makers.

This insightful book is ideal for students, researchers and policy makers wanting a sound overview of the critical issues of gender in lifelong learning. Asking pertinent questions relating to discourses on policy, the authors offer the reader a rare view of lifelong learning from a gender-focused perspective, filling a gap in the literature and moving current debate on into new areas. Questions addressed include:To what extent can the policy discourses and institutional contexts of lifelong learning be seen as masculinised and/or feminised?What are the gender implications of lifelong learning policy?In what ways are learners’ identities constructed through lifelong learning?Does lifelong learning provide opportunities to challenge or transgress gender binaries?What are the implications for practice?

This insightful book is ideal for students, researchers and policy makers wanting a sound overview of the critical issues of gender in lifelong learning. Asking pertinent questions relating to discourses on policy, the authors offer the reader a rare view of lifelong learning from a gender-focused perspective, filling a gap in the literature and moving current debate on into new areas. Questions addressed include:To what extent can the policy discourses and institutional contexts of lifelong learning be seen as masculinised and/or feminised?What are the gender implications of lifelong learning policy?In what ways are learners’ identities constructed through lifelong learning?Does lifelong learning provide opportunities to challenge or transgress gender binaries?What are the implications for practice?

Feminism and ‘The Schooling Scandal’ brings together feminist contributions from two generations of educational researchers, evaluating and celebrating the field of gender and education. The focus throughout is on the years of compulsory schooling, examining key concepts in gender and education identified and developed by international thinkers in educational feminism. Topics covered include:social class, ethnicity and sexuality in relation to experiences in school; theories and methodologies for understanding gender;pedagogy and practice in education; andthe direction of educational policy and the ‘problem of boys’.Providing a comprehensive overview of contemporary research and theory emerging from ‘second wave’ feminism and assessing their impact on pupils and teachers in today’s schools and classrooms, this book forms essential reading for anyone studying gender and education.

Feminism and ‘The Schooling Scandal’ brings together feminist contributions from two generations of educational researchers, evaluating and celebrating the field of gender and education. The focus throughout is on the years of compulsory schooling, examining key concepts in gender and education identified and developed by international thinkers in educational feminism. Topics covered include:social class, ethnicity and sexuality in relation to experiences in school; theories and methodologies for understanding gender;pedagogy and practice in education; andthe direction of educational policy and the ‘problem of boys’.Providing a comprehensive overview of contemporary research and theory emerging from ‘second wave’ feminism and assessing their impact on pupils and teachers in today’s schools and classrooms, this book forms essential reading for anyone studying gender and education.

This book provides a valuable route map to the development of thinking in gender and education over the last fifteen years. It includes over thirty-five seminal articles from the journal Gender and Education, written by many of the leading authors in the field from the UK, the USA, Australia and Europe.Compiled by the current editors of the journal to show the development of the field, the book is divided into six sections:* Gender Identities * Theory and Method * Policy and Management * Sexuality * Ethnicity * Social Class.The specially written introduction by the editors contextualises the selection and introduces students to the main issues and current thinking in the field. Available in one easy-to-access place, this authoritative reference book provides a collection of articles that have lead the field. It should find a place in every library and on every departmental bookshelf.

Presenting original quantitative and qualitative data from a large-scale empirical research project conducted in British secondary schools, Reassessing ‘Ability’ Grouping analyses the impact of attainment grouping on pupil outcomes, teacher effectiveness and social equality.Alongside a comprehensive account of existing literature and the international field, this book offers: Rigorous conceptual analysis of data A view of wider political debates on pupils' social backgrounds and educational attainment A discussion of the practicalities of classroom practice Recommendations for improved practice to maximise pupil outcomes, experiences and equity Vignettes, illustrative tables and graphs, as well as quotes from teacher interviews and pupil focus groupsAddressing attainment grouping as an obstacle to raising pupil attainment, this book offers a distinctive, wide-ranging appraisal of the international field, new large-scale empirical evidence, and ‘close to practice’ attention to the practicalities and constraints of the classroom. Reassessing ‘Ability’ Grouping is an essential read for any practitioners and policymakers, as well as students engaged in the field of education and social justice.

Presenting original quantitative and qualitative data from a large-scale empirical research project conducted in British secondary schools, Reassessing ‘Ability’ Grouping analyses the impact of attainment grouping on pupil outcomes, teacher effectiveness and social equality.Alongside a comprehensive account of existing literature and the international field, this book offers: Rigorous conceptual analysis of data A view of wider political debates on pupils' social backgrounds and educational attainment A discussion of the practicalities of classroom practice Recommendations for improved practice to maximise pupil outcomes, experiences and equity Vignettes, illustrative tables and graphs, as well as quotes from teacher interviews and pupil focus groupsAddressing attainment grouping as an obstacle to raising pupil attainment, this book offers a distinctive, wide-ranging appraisal of the international field, new large-scale empirical evidence, and ‘close to practice’ attention to the practicalities and constraints of the classroom. Reassessing ‘Ability’ Grouping is an essential read for any practitioners and policymakers, as well as students engaged in the field of education and social justice.

The Handbook of Gender and Education brings together leading scholars on gender and education to provide an up-to-date and broad-ranging guide to the field.

It is a comprehensive overview of different theoretical positions on equity issues in schools. The contributions cover all sectors of education from early years to higher education; curriculum subjects; methodological and theoretical perspectives; and gender identities in education. Each chapter reviews, synthesises and provides a critical interrogation of key contemporary themes in education. This approach ensures that the book will be an indispensable source of reference for a wide range of readers: students, academics and practitioners.

The first section of the Handbook, Gender Theory and Methodology, outlines the various (feminist) perspectives on researching and exploring gender and education. The section critiques the notion of gender as a category in educational research and considers recent trends, evident especially in the gender and underachievement debates, to locate gender difference solely within biology. This section provides the broad background upon which the issues and debates in the other sections can be situated.

Section two, Gender and Education, considers the differing ways in which gender has been shown to impact upon the opportunities and experiences of pupils/students, teachers and other adults in the different sectors of education. It also includes a chapter on single-sex schooling.

Section three, Gender and School Subjects, comprises chapters that cover gender issues within the teaching and learning of particular school subjects (for example, maths, literacy, and science). It also includes topics such as sex education and assessment.

The chapters in section four, Gender, identity and educational sites, address up-to-date issues which have a long history in terms of explorations into gender and educational opportunities. More recent inclusions in the debates, such as disability, sexuality, and masculinities are discussed alongside the more traditional concerns of 'race', social class and femininities.

The final section, Working in Schools and Colleges, illuminates the working lives of teachers and academics. The chapters cover such topics as school culture, career progression and development, and the gendered identities of professionals within educational institutions.

The contributors to this book have been selected by the editors as authorities in their specific area of gender and education and are drawn from the international scholarly community.

This title addresses the tension between high achievement and popularity in secondary schools, exploring the sociological impact of this in the lives of young people. How do some students manage to excel in their studies and be popular while other high achievers are treated as social outcasts? This lively and accessible text looks at the relationships between gender, race and social class, and attainment and popularity, for high achieving pupils. The internationally renowned authors present a lucid theoretical framework that reflects the complexity of these issues, placing them within the broader context of the policies which cause and constrain particular behaviours among teachers and pupils. The authors draw together empirical data, bringing the realities of young people to life and presenting the lessons that can be learnt to enhance the educational achievement of all students. Issues covered include: the social consequences for the 'too hardworking'; the tension between high achievement and popularity; and, the classroom practices adopted by pupils accomplishing popularity and high achievement.This is an engaging text for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students exploring the debates on identity and achievement.