An Investigation of the Gender Responsiveness of the Upper Primary Social Studies Curriculum in Rwanda

Abstract

This study investigated the gender responsiveness of the Upper primary Social Studies curriculum in Rwanda. Forty-one people participated in the study, including pupils, teachers, and education officials. Data was collected through interviews, focus group discussions, lesson observations and content analysis of nine Social Studies textbooks. Thematic analysis was used to make sense of the data collected. The findings showed that while Social Studies curriculum considers gender issues, there is some gender stereotype regarding women’s and men’s roles within the textbooks. There were significant differences in how rural and urban pupils perceive the impact of gender on children’s education. The findings from lesson observations indicate that teachers are generally gender sensitive in their teaching practices. Some teachers agreed that gender has a significant impact on education while others felt that it is no longer an important issue. In short, while efforts have been made to ensure gender responsiveness, textbooks and teaching practices, still need some enhancement.