Avoiding the Issue of Gender in Japanese Science Education

Autor/inn/en	Scantlebury, Kathryn; Baker, Dale; Sugi, Ayumi; Yoshida, Atsushi; Uysal, Sibel
Titel	Avoiding the Issue of Gender in Japanese Science Education
Quelle	In: International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 5 (2007) 3, S.415-438 (24 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1571-0068
DOI	10.1007/s10763-006-9045-8
Schlagwörter	Majors (Students); Females; Negative Attitudes; Career Choice; Physical Sciences; Likert Scales; Foreign Countries; Science Teachers; Gender Issues; Science Education; Feminism; Gender Bias; Stereotypes; Cultural Influences; Barriers; Womens Education; College Students; Gender Differences; Student Attitudes; Age Differences; Biology; Japan + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Weibliches Geschlecht; Negative Fixierung; Natural sciences; Naturwissenschaften; Naturwissenschaft; Likert-Skala; Ausland; Science; Teacher; Teachers; Science teacher; Wissenschaft; Lehrer; Lehrerin; Lehrende; Geschlechterfrage; Naturwissenschaftliche Bildung; Feminismus; Geschlechterstereotyp; Klischee; Cultural influence; Kultureinfluss; 'Women''s education'; Frauenbildung; Collegestudent; Geschlechterkonflikt; Schülerverhalten; Age; Difference; Age difference; Altersunterschied; Biologie
Abstract	This paper describes how the patriarchal structure of Japanese society and its notions of women, femininity, and gendered stereotypes produced strong cultural barriers to increasing the participation of females in science education. Baseline data on attitudes toward science and the perceptions of gender issues in science education, academic major and career choice were collected from 175 university students (124 female, 51 male). Students responded to a Likert scale that included the option "I don't understand the question". All respondents took advantage of the option for items related to gender issues. On some items up to 67% of the males responded that they did not understand the question. Females in science choosing this option did not exceed 19%. In Japan, gender is an invisible, pervasive construct that impacts females' participation in science and science education. In other ways, attitudes toward science among Japanese students mirrored those found in the United States and in other countries. Respondents held the most favorable views of science when they were in elementary school and females preferred biology while males preferred the physical sciences. The exception to the Western pattern of liking science and science teachers is that male non-science majors rather than female non-science majors reported poor academic performance in elementary school, declining attitudes in middle school, and they held the most negative attitudes toward their science teacher and science subjects. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10