Abstract of

Guns and Dolls: A Look at the Effects of a Gender Equitable Curriculum

by

Natalie Angelene Byler

Edna Anne Shoemaker

Summer 1998

California State University, Sacramento

Statement of the Problem

It was clear to the authors of this study from both their experience as classroom teachers and much of the research focused on the social complexities of gender, that there is a strong need for a curriculum which addresses the issues of gender equity in an explicit manner in the classroom. With this in mind the authors set out to discover: Would the use of a gender equitable language arts curriculum raise the awareness and perhaps alter attitudes of twelfth grade students in an inner city high school on the issues of gender equity?

Sources of Data

The research design of this attitudinal study was one which incorporated a combination of Observational, Descriptive, and Ethnographic elements. This included the use of an unstructured item format questionnaire utilizing a paired item format, as well as unstructured, open-ended questioning strategies. Additionally, observation of student behavior and analysis of student writing was used. Following this, efforts were made to cross-validate and triangulate the student responses through he examination of the different types of data collected in order to select several students for follow-up interviews designed to gather additional data.

Conclusions Reached

Upon reflection of the data collected from this study, the authors found that there was a clear indication that the majority of the student participants expressed a keener sense of awareness of the issues of gender equity, and for some there was a real change in attitudes and belief systems resulting from the use of a gender equitable curriculum. However, it was also clear that there is much too vast to be thoroughly addressed within a year's curricular scope.