Hi David and all
I am not sure much work has been done on the gender issues implied by your findings but certainly we’ve noticed some potentially similar things …
Here’s an extract from our 2005 report about our one-to-one LD tutorials at Plymouth. This was not examined in depth but, impressionistically, we related this to discipline area too - i.e. few students from the more ‘male’ areas – e.g., electronics, computing and engineering – make use of our services. I spent some time working mostly with Education students last year, and found that more males from that area were using LD than from other subject areas. I asked several of them informally about their thoughts on seeking help and found some to be a bit concerned about their image with ‘the lads’. I asked some of the female students about this and found them to be (on the whole) surprised anyone might be reluctant to ask for advice about studying. So far so stereotypical …
Does anyone else out there know of research on gender and HE participation with reference to males, attitudes, subject areas, take up of LD services etc?
· Take-up by gender continues to show a marked difference: over both years (03/4 and 04/5) many more female than male students used LD tutorials. This disparity has remained at a similar level since it was first reported in 2001/2 and in 2002/3
Table three: Take-up by gender
|
Gender Year |
Female |
Male |
|
2003/4 |
173 (c 75%) |
55 (c 25%) |
|
2004/5 |
180 (c72%) |
69 (c28%) |
John Hilsdon
Co-ordinator, Learning Development
University of Plymouth
Drake Circus
Plymouth
PL4 8AA
01752 232276
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-----Original
Message-----
From: learning development in
higher education network [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of David
Donnarumma (Staff)
Sent: 10
August 2007 08:19
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Male students in HE
Hello All,
Over the last couple of years, we have increased the numbers of students that we see at both workshops and on a one-to-one basis. Despite increasing numbers, we still have a larger proportion of female students (70:30). Taking advice from our Counselling Service, who have also looked at encouraging the take-up of their Service by male students, we organised a regular drop-in service (12 - 1 everyday). Although ratios have slightly improved, we still have have a majority of female students who access our service. We are (obviously) keen to increase male participation, and in the next academic year we will be running staff development sessions on gender issues. I have read some of the literature around gender (Burke, 2007; Skeggs, 1997) which looks at how individuals mis-recognise themselves and use education as a way to becoming respectable persons. Notably, how boys' masulinities are constructed in both FE and HE and their connenctions to wider society. However, I am struggling to find data / research on what institutions have successfully implemented with regard to improving the participation of male students in HE.
If any of you have any experience of this issue, or can point me in the direction of any journal articles, it would be most helpful.
Thanks,
David
David Donnarumma
Effective
Learning Adviser
Learning
Teaching and Development Unit, Lc019
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Dial: 01895 267313