Role disparity: The effect of gender in science education

Abstract

This study sought to investigate factors affecting the academic performance of female students in science at a public secondary school in South Africa. This study provides empirical evidence for improvement of enrollment, participation and academic performance of female secondary school science students. The study adopted an ethnographic design in which data were collected through in-depth interviews. A total of eight twelfth-grade female science students were interviewed. Data were analyzed using qualitative data analysis, an approach grounded in Glᾰser and Laudel’s model and emerging themes are discussed in the article. The findings highlight the pivotal role played by cultural and social factors as well as the impact of the family’s socio economic status on the female students’ academic performance in science education. Furthermore, the study reveals the significant differences in treatment between male and female science students and the effect this has on female students’ performance in class.