Perception of gender equity in the classroom among Secondary School teachers in benin - City, Edo State

Abstract

Education plays a major role in the preparation of young people for full participation in the society. Over the past few decades, gender equality in access to education has improved.  However, there is still great inequality in the representation of the genders in certain educational fields and occupations. The study investigated boys’ and girls’ classroom interaction as perceived by classroom teachers and the teachers’ openness to equal experiences for both boys and girls regarding courses of study/occupations. Four hundred and twenty-nine randomly selected teachers in public and private co-educational schools in Benin-City, Edo state, participated in the study. A self-constructed instrument was validated and employed to collect data for the study. Descriptive and Pearson’s Chi-Square statistics were used to analyse data collected. Findings revealed that the teachers perceived a disparity between boys’ and girls’ classroom interactions. Also, teachers were generally not open to equal and diverse experiences for male and female students regarding occupations and courses of study. Implications for counselling were discussed. The study concluded that gender inequity exists in the classroom and may affect both genders negatively. The introduction of gender equity education in teacher-education curriculum was recommended.

Key words: Gender, equity, classroom, teachers.