Gifted Females/Chapter 14

Debra CannonKrystalyn May

La Chanda SolomonBrandi Tryan

History and Present Day

Women and Achievement in History The education of gifted girls and women has been

a low priority throughout history This has led to wholesale female

underachievement Some girls are still discouraged by peers, family,

and sometimes teachers and counselors Women's educational opportunities were

intentionally limited by other educators and psychologists

Women and Achievement in History Women's education back in history was designed

in a way to that they could "serve" their men By "serve" I mean taking care of the children, the

home, and to please their men. Freud thought women were passive. Jung thought women were emotional and less

rational and logical than men G. Stanley Hall, psychologist and educator

thought that women should aim at nothing but motherhood

Thorndike, a psychologist and educator thought that there was nothing wrong with women getting an education as long as they were educated in careers involving nurturing roles

Women and Achievement in History Survey results of 544 graduates of highly

selective gifted females(1910-1979) who had careers, almost half (46%) teachers, (28%) social workers, (10%) physicians or engineers, (73%) were homemakers

After WWll women were forced to leave their jobs as scientists. Colleges and Universities no longer recruited them. They were supposed to be mothers, not scientists.

Women only from wealthy families were permitted to study science.

Very few women were employed in medicine, law, business, government, art, serious media, or music until the 1960's

Present Status of Women

Gifted women in this country are still functioning as underachieving adults

There is still a difference in salaries, although they have decreased slightly

2007 statistics released by the Bureau of Labor said that full time women earned 80% as much as full time men, up from 1998(75%), and up considerably from 1979 (62%).

Present Status of Women

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Sex and Gender Differences Sex differences – biological Gender differences –

sociocultural Separating the two provides a

basis for determining the extent to which the underachievement of women can be modified.

Two different models used in looking at career differences between males and females: Deficit Model – formal and

informal exclusion. Women receive fewer opportunities for successful careers.

Difference Model - assumes there are deeply ingrained differences in behavior, outlook, and goals between men and women.

Biological differences – hyperkinesis (abnormally high levels of physical activity) is found in boys much more frequently than in girls.

Sociocultural differences – gender stereotypes. Pink/blue to identify baby gender.

Characteristics considered “masculine” are also typical of successful people. Aggressiveness, ambitiousness, assertiveness, competitiveness.

Characteristics considered “feminine” are associated with mothering, nurturant, female-dominated occupations. Affection, compassion, gentleness, understanding.

Sexualization of girls. Sex is a powerful distraction from learning. In one study (Choate & Curry), college women were asked to try on either a swimsuit or sweater, look at themselves in the mirror privately, and then complete a math exam. The “sweater women” achieved much higher scores than the ones who tried on swimsuits.

Can gifted girls overcome the impact of families, schools, and sex-role stereotyped literature and media on their own self- perceptions?

If we are to help girls, we have to start early. One study found that by first grade, girls believed they were less competent in athletics and mathematics. Boys had higher competence beliefs in their athletic and mathematical abilities. Only with high levels of awareness and deliberate “counterconditioning” will we be able to overcome these gender stereotypes.

Mathematics abilities About equal in childhood then

differences widen becoming prominent by middle school. Research by Rimm indicated that enjoying math was the variable that differentiated the women doctors and surgeons from those who selected nursing careers. Because equal number of males and females do not continue in mathematics careers, Spelke (2005) concludes that we must look beyond cognitive abilities to societal reasons for not retaining women in math-related careers.

Cultural stereotypes

Parental expectations make a difference in perpetuating cultural stereotypes. The cultural stereotype that females are not as capable in math and science adversely affects girls’ estimates of their own talents. Improvements can be made with retraining and positive environments. Major societal commitments must be made to dispel the long-held stereotype that women are less capable in mathematics and mathematical sciences than men.

No ability is totally and exclusively related to gender. Research reports are based on

average scores on tests involving large numbers of students. There is always near-total overlap in the distributions of male and female abilities and achievement-test scores. Test results which favor males can have the effect of perpetuating “stereotype threat”. We need to inform gifted girls of this issue to help them to perform at their best on tests, in their coursework, and in their careers.

Differences in Expectations, Achievement Orientation,

and Aspirations Family, school, and peer expectations

can encourage or discourage a strong achievement orientation, risk taking, independence, and self-confident in girls.

These expectations can lead to low or high aspirations that would result, respectively, in underachievement or lifetime high achievement.

Family Expectations and Identification

In regard to career aspirations, many researchers concluded that career modeling by mothers motivates females to have higher education and career aspirations.

Father’s direct expectations of their daughters also influence female achievement.

Radin and Epstein(1975) found that father’s short- and long- term academic expectations of their daughters were positively correlated with measures of the girls’ intellectual functioning.

Helson(1971), as noted earlier, found that creative mathematicians tended to be oldest daughters who identified with their fathers.

Bardwick(1971) also emphasized the importance of girls’ identification with their fathers in order to learn important achievement traits such as independence and self-esteem.

Callahan, Cunningham, and Plucker(1994) also found family influence to be important in helping gifted girls cope with barriers to their achievement.

Peer Expectations From early adolescence, and sometimes before, peer

expectations play a strong part in directing the achievement of gifted girls. Because high intelligence and an achievement orientation sometimes are considered masculine characteristics, girls risk being considered “unfeminine” if they become too involved in school achievement.

Kramer(1996) found that gifted girls deliberately underestimated their abilities for fear that exposure of their high abilities would cause peers to view them as socially less competent or as unattractive.

The successful women managed their peer pressure by finding peer groups that shared their interests and respected their intelligence.

As to peer pressure on girls who participate in gifted programing, Read(1996) found that girls tended to drop out of gifted programming more than boys.

According to Horner’s (1972) classic “fear of success” syndrome, girls suppress high achievement and success because of their fear of “failing as a female.” In one pertinent finding, Horner concluded that females who received career encouragement from their male friends were less likely to experience fear of success.

School Expectations From nursery school onward, there has

been continuous documentation of school biases that deter an achievement orientation for females.

Seigle and Reis (1998) found that teachers concluded that female students worked harder and produced better-quality work; however, girls did not receive higher grades than boys.

The American Association of University Women( AAUW) report How Schools Shortchange Girls focused on some critical disadvantages with which girls cope in public schools:• Girls receive less attention than boys do in the

classroom• African American girls get even less attention than

other girls.• Sexual harassment of girls by boys is increasing.• Girls are included less in the subject matter of

textbooks.• Girls are advancing in math but declining in science.• Boys get more SAT-based scholarships than girls do

even when SAT scores are the same.• The decrease in girls’ self-esteem during school

years is 3 times greater than that of boys.• Only half of girls take pride in their schoolwork.• Teachers allow boys to try again, but tend to take

over for girls.

Self-Expectations Female aspirations and achievement orientation

surely are changing. This change includes altered self-perceptions and self-expectations. If gifted females are to develop their talents and make contributions to society, they must acquire confidence and strong achievement needs, and they must make plans for a sound education.

Research suggest four important factors that seem to be inked to lower self-expectations and aspirations of females:

1. a lower sense of competence2. a tendency to attribute failures to oneself

and successes to external factors

3. lower achievement motivation4. the “fear of success” syndrome

Low Sense of Competence Gifted girls seem to be extremely susceptible to the loss of confidence at

adolesence(Klein & Zhems, 1996) Reis (1989b) found that gifted girls were less likely to lose confidence in

their abilities if they were involved in gifted programs and numerous extracurricular activities, compared with gifted girls who were not in such programs.

Attributional Differences Females tend to attribute their successes to hard work or to luck, but their

failures to lack of ability.

Low Achievement Motivation The need to achieve is a highly consistent personality trait that

begins developing as early as second grade. Lower achievement motivation persists more for gifted young

women compared with young men. Efforts to teach achievement motivation basically encourage the

learner to think as achievement-oriented individuals do: (1) value success and achievement,(2) accept moderate risks,(3)set realistic and achievable goals, and (4) feel confident that he or she can achieve these goals.

Reversing Understanding

Schools must take the leadership role when it comes to fostering equal development of young women in comparison to the young men of the gifted community

The Trifocal Model (explained in Ch. 12) is used to provide guidelines to help teachers.

Steps in the Trifocal Model

1. Assessment2. Communication between home

and school3. Changing the expectations of

important others4. Role model identification5. Correcting skill deficiencies6. Modifying reinforcements at

home and school

Step 1: Assessment At the School Level Determines whether schools are providing the

necessary materials in order to ensure the success of females

School district administrators, principals, teachers, counselors, and others should ask a variety of questions to determine what changes should be made. (see pg. 386-387 in textbook for specific questions)

Based on the answers to these questions, schools can begin to make changes to materials available, counseling practices, parental education, encouragement practices, rewards systems, and ways of helping the girls understand their abilities

Assessments at the Student Level

GOAL To determine the

nature and extent of the student’s under achievement

ACHIEVED BY… Tests Inventories Questioning observation

Step 2: Communication

GOAL To get parents,

teachers, and students to work together

ACHIEVED BY Meeting to discuss

issues and exchange information with respect and without blame

Ex: Send short notes home covering a specific topic and its rewards for underachieving females specifically ex. Pg 386

Step 3: Changing Expectations

GOAL To help all people

involved to figure out new levels of achievements

Must acquire an expectation that gifted females should be preparing for high-level careers

ACHIEVED BY Setting realistic goals Expressing

confidence in the child’s ability to set goals and actually meet the goals.

Provide internships Have speakers from

local professional women’s organizations

Step 4: Role Model Identification

GOAL To find a positive role

model for gifted female students

ACHIEVED BY Selecting

achievement oriented adult females

Finding high achieving female adults with whom the students can identify

Providing opportunities for female students to shadow strong female role models

Step 5: Correcting Skill Deficiencies

GOAL To overcome and

prevent deficiencies

ACHIEVED BY Encouraging high school

girls to take the advanced courses

Encourage females to receive tutoring

Ensure that gifted girls are helped in developing autonomy, self-confidence, a willingness to compete, leadership, resilience, and assertiveness.

Step 6: Modifying Reinforcements at Home and at School

GOAL To encourage

behaviors that are sufficient for their careers.

ACHIEVED BY Changing the

behaviors reinforced in regards to perfectionism, social life, challenges, appearance, competition, careers, and unconscious bias

Explanation on next slide

Recommendations for parents and teachers in regards to changing reinforcements

Perfectionismtake the word ‘perfect’ out of

your vocabularyBe clear that excellence is

expectedMake sure they understand

that everyone learns from mistakes.

Social Life Making and having friends can be a

positive experience Aloneness and independence are just

as valuable

Challenge

Students who get all A’s aren’t always eager to take harder classes.

Explain to underachieving girls that we would rather them take the risk of doing harder work even if they aren’t successful

Remind them that excellent colleges credit students who are taking more difficult courses more than those who take more basic courses.

Appearance We must refuse to emphasize appearance Reasonable neatness and looking nice are

acceptable values Too much praise about appearance, and not

enough interest in intellect and creativity, will affect a girl’s perception of what is important.

Careers Mothers who are career women should not

apologize for her career Women educators should let the girls know that

she is proud of her career so that they will not assume that she does the work just for the money

Explain the benefits and importance of a woman having a career

Encourage the girls to develop a relationship with a woman who likes her and is in love with her own life and work.

Unconscious Bias Most difficult to change is male attitudes toward

females Must convince gifted boys to appreciate intelligent

and assertive females Explain that the best kind of relationship comes

from mutual respect Combined with the de-emphasis on appearance

will help both the male and female gifted students.

Summary of Chapter

Possible take-aways

Make some type of reference card using information from this PDF http://www.sylviarimm.com/newsletters/Newsletter%2019.1.pdf

Maybe we can create a page with qr codes that take the teachers to websites that provide resources for working with underachieving female students.

World’s most inspiring women…Forbes.com http://www.forbes.com/2010/07/17/role-model-oprah-winfrey-angelina-michelle-obama-forbes-woman-power-women-jk-rowling.html

Greatest women of all time http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/g514/greatest-women-in-history/

Movie trailer- He named me Malala