Role of Gender in Academic

¶ … role of gender in academic achievement by Lea Hubbard.

This article deals with a number of cardinal issues. Central to this study of low-income, African-American public high school students is the refutation, or rather the extension, of Ogbu's influential notions and categories of 'involuntary' minority students as oppositional and resistant to schooling. As the author states:

the strong gender-based variation found among these students in terms of their college aspirations and strategies for attaining success raise questions about an undifferentiated treatment of the African-American student population" (Hubbard, 2005, p.605).

The findings of this qualitative study strongly suggest that gender and variables other than ethnicity and class distinctions are a prime determining factor in the performance assessments and achievement levels of African-American public high school students. In this view, gender differences and the way that gender is constructed in the African-American community by both peer and family relationships are essential variables that, according to the author, have not been adequately included in mainstream analyses of the subject. As the study states" Even when students share a racial and class identity, gender may strongly mediate their perceptions and behavior, in and out of school" (p. 205).

Therefore, the study stresses that gender is a central variable that should be considered and that it has not been adequately considered in Ogbu's work. The study highlights this aspect and attempts to redress an "...oversight that plagues both his work and that of most reproduction and resistance studies" (p. 206).

Analysis of the study

The above assertions are dependent on the qualitative research method using a sample of 30 highly successful, low-income, African-American public high school students. It should be noted at the outset that the study is limited in terms the extent and range of its data sample. This not only refers to the emphasis on the low income selection and the category of 'successful student," but also to the important fact that the sample group is the participant in the AVID program. While this does not necessarily invalidate the findings of the study, it should be borne in mind as it indicates the parameters of the study and affects any generalized assumptions that can be derived from the research. This is essentially an ethnographic-based qualitative study, and, as will be become evident in this review, this form of research method has obvious limitations in terms of validity and overall worth as a research methodology.

Central to the findings of this study is that the experiences of the sample group that were investigated defy the traditional patterns of educational underachievement commonly associated in the literature with this particular minority group. These findings also challenge accepted views, such as Ogbu's influential notions of 'involuntary' minority students as oppositional and resistant to schooling; coupled with this are the findings in Hubbard's study of significant gender-based variations among the students, with regards to achieving academic success.

The study however takes into account prior research on the prejudicial and discriminatory treatment of the African-American student population. What the study does show is that gender has to a large extent been ignored as part of the overall equation; a situation which this qualitative study attempt to remedy.

In the research it was found, that central to the main thesis is the fact that there are some members of "involuntary minorities" who do achieve significant academic success and that these differences are often related to gender and expectations that can be seen as being linked to the social and cultural construction of gender. For examples, the author refer so to the fact that in 2000, approximately 972,000 Black women enrolled in undergraduate institutions, compared to 577,000 Black men; furthermore, "...Black women also outpaced their Black male counterparts in degree completion (10.3% and 7.2% respectively)" (p.607).

The author concludes from an investigation of these disparities with the assertion based on a selective study, that these differences are related to gender issues and construction. It is also stressed again that these gender issues have not been adequately taken account of in the mainstream literature on the subject.

These findings are extremely significant in terms of the issue of African-American achievement levels, and the author makes a very good case for the inclusion and importance of gender issues in understanding of the way that African-Americans respond to aspects of educational goals and achievement objectives. However, at the same time, one has to take into account the possible limitations of the ethnographical qualitative methodology that is used. This raises the question of the extent to which this particular qualitative methodology is successful in terms of large generalizations.

In general, the qualitative method of data acquisition and research has many advantages over the more restrictive and rigid quantitative methodologies. Qualitative research seeks a more in-depth and holistic view of the subject and is particularly well suited in terms of taking account of the plethora of variables that may occur in the process of investigation. Quantitative research on the other hand is usually bounded by questions of measurement and invariably starts with a predetermined set of parameters about the research and is therefore restricted in terms of its contextual and investigative potential. Qualitative research is therefore more successful in education research and the social sciences; where the subjective element and the participation of the data sample group are also taken into account. Many researchers prefer this methods as they are of the opinion that that the overall social context and complexity is lost when textual data are quantified. (Myers M. D)

On the other hand, qualitative research also has a number of important weaknesses in terms of generalized research results. For example, the quantitative method "Cannot quantify how many of your audience answer one way or another "and "Cannot generalize your findings to your broader audience or the public in general" (Qualitative Research Methods) These aspects therefore makes extrapolation of the data in terms of the larger population problematic.

However, it should also be noted that the author is well are of these limitations. "I was keenly aware of the limitations of this qualitative research..." (p.608) the author is also aware of the extent to which"... The researcher has the ability to frame the questions and dialogue in a manner that merely leads to the reinforcement of preconceived notions and/or the extent to which informants may respond based on their perceptions of the researcher" (p.608). As a result certain aspects were built into the research design to prevent distortion due to personal bias and preference, particularly in terms of the ethnographic method and the way that the researcher developed close ties with the students.

Notwithstanding these attempts to prevent bias in the research, the study uses a very intimate and almost "immersive" ethnographic methodology. The author refers more than once to the close contact and the personal nature of the relationships that were established between the subjects and the researcher. While this aspect has its own advantages in terms of the goals of contextuality in qualitative research, it can also lead to findings which may be biased to a certain extent and not representative of the larger student community.