Gender, culture and learning

This monograph sifts through a sizable amount of anthropological, psychological, and biological research to arrive at an answer, and then makes recommendations for educators trying to reach both genders in developing countries. Overall, the paper finds that in terms of cognitive abilities and learning processes, males and females are more alike than different. It is likely that socialization plays a larger role in sex-differentiated abilities than do biologically based factors; in developing countries girls" participation and performance in education is influenced by political, religious, cultural, and economic factors that restrict their educational access, persistence, and achievement. Moreover, gender-biased educational theories, systems, processes, and practice compound this problem. The recommendations in this paper aim for gender neutrality, but also place a premium on recognizing that developing cultures value different kinds of knowledge than do western cultures. For example, in Zambia parents feel that "sendability" -- the ability of a child to carry out a task responsibly -- is an important characteristic of intelligence. In that country, the Westerners" absent-minded professor would be undereducated. Since schooling cannot be separated from social and cultural environment, the recommendations contained herein assume a problem-oriented rather than a program approach to educating girls; a problem-oriented approach implies working with all stakeholders, including local people, to discover what people need and want, and to develop responses accordingly. Appendices explore further the problems in identifying gender-related learning differences; and briefly reviews research suggesting that gender differences might be declining. Includes references.