1. Explanations of Gender development
LO: Outline & Evaluate Gender schema theory

2. Gender Schema Theory Martin and Halverson (1983)

3. Function: Organise information in our heads
What are schemas?
Are like rules which help us make sense of the world
A cluster of beliefs about something
Schemas affect how individuals behave and what information they attend to.
Function: Organise information in our heads

4. Gender schemas
Rigid and inflexible
At three years (gender identity) children begin to search for rules and ‘create schemas’ about how males and females should behave. Their schema’s develop and get more and more complex.

5. Gender Schema theory Gender identity gender schemas
more attention to same sex gender consistent behaviours

6. Activity I will show you a picture of a clock
You have 2 minutes to draw the clock as accurately as possible.

8. 2 minutes Draw the clock as accurately as possible.
Anyone draw the number 4 like this?…..

9. Gender schema theory
Children pay attention to information that fits with their schemas, and ignore information that does not fit with their schemas
Liben et al (1993)

10. Task
Identify two similarities and two differences between the gender schema theory and Kohlberg's consistency theory

11. Evaluation of the gender schema theory
AO2

12. Support for his theory
Aubry et al followed children for 3 years. They asked them about their beliefs for gender related items. They found that if a child showed awareness that an item was meant for the opposite sex, the following year they showed a reduced preference for it.
1. How does Aubry et al’s study support the gender schema theory (link back)
2.Can you identify any problems with his study?
3. The study’s results are unreliable, what does this mean?
Fill in the gaps

13. Fagot (1985)
Found children that could label gender at 2.5 showed more gender consistent behaviour
Parents of ‘early labellers’ had given more negative/positive responses to sex type toys when they were 1.5 years old.
What can you conclude from these results?
Fagot concluded that parents influence children's schemas, therefore gender behaviours, which the GST did not acknowledge.

14. Paired Discussion
The film Billy Elliot involves a boy who, even though he knows ballet is for girls, he does it anyway. Eventually his beliefs about ballet ‘not for boys’ change.
How does this story conflict with the gender schema theory?

15. How does this pose a problem for the gender schema theory?
Paired Discussion
Research has shown that boys tend to engage in more gender activities than girls.
E.g boys have a stronger preference for gender consistent toys
BUT, boys do not have more developed schemas/knowledge about gender compared to girls.
How does this pose a problem for the gender schema theory?

16. Task- You are the teacher
Read the students answer
Highlight the A01 and A02.
Underline where she has wrapped her A01 in A02 language or cross where she has not done it.
Mark on the side where she has elaborated.
Circle where she has linked back to the question or write ‘link back’ where she hasn’t.

17. Homework
Describe and evaluate one or more cognitive developmental theories of gender development (8 marks + 16 marks).