Effectiveness of the Gender Responsive Pedagogy- Kenya Equity in Education Project

Author(s):

Janet Okoko(submitting)Dawn Wallin(presenting)Laurie Hellsten

Conference:

ECER 2017

Network:

27. Didactics - Learning and Teaching

Format:

Paper

Session Information

27 SES 02 B, Sexism and Gender Equity in Educational Practices

Pecha Kucha Session

Time:

2017-08-22

15:15-16:45

Room:

K3.05

Chair:

Carol Taylor

Contribution

This presentation is informed by feminist principles and the need for critical pedagogies in education to achieve gender equity for girls in Sub-Saharan contexts. A report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO] (2015) reiterated how “education is a basic human right, and gender equality is fundamental to its full realization” (p. 3). Teaching and teachers play a significant role in the degree to which this is achieved. Unfortunately, many teachers in sub-Saharan Africa employ teaching methods that do not provide equal opportunities for girls and boys to participate (UNESCO, 2015). Gender Responsive Pedagogy (GRP) is gaining credence as a methodology that helps teachers improve the overall quality of teaching for all learners, and especially girls. In Sub-Saharan Africa, GRP has been demonstrated to make a difference in girls’ and boys’ participation rates, educational outcomes, and attrition rates (FAWE, 2009). The GRP approach includes teacher training on gender-sensitive processes and practices that result in more equal participation of girls and boys in the classroom, as well as in the community. When using GRP as a method, teachers who incorporate GRP apply an inclusive gender approach in planning lessons, teaching, managing classroom activities and performance evaluation (Mlama et al., 2005).

This presentation is based on a study whose purpose was to provide an understanding of the extent to which the Kenya Equity in Education – Gender Responsive Pedagogy Project (GRP-KEEP) contributed to improved learning outcomes and social circumstances for girls in refugee and host communities in Kakuma and Dadaab, Kenya. The overall goal of KEEP is to improve the lives of girls through improved access to quality education. KEEP implements GRP programs as a means of providing hands-on and practical gender equity training for refugee and host community teachers. Once a teacher has returned to the classroom, follow up visits are conducted to provide support for teachers and to assess the degree to which GRP is being applied and improving gender equity in the classroom.

The study was aimed at: (1) providing an understanding about the effectiveness of GRP- KEEP training in improving the application of GRP approaches in the classroom in host and refugee community schools; (2) exploring the factors and conditions that most affect the application and practice of GRP in the classroom and school environment, particularly cultural, contextual and gender factors; and (3) assessing the contribution of GRP toward improved student participation, improved learning, and teacher/student interactions in host and refugee contexts, especially for girls. To address these objectives, the study was guided by the following research questions:

(i) What new knowledge and practices have teachers who have been trained in GRP been able to apply in the classroom, and to what extent?

(ii) How effective has the GRP approach been in improving sustainable teaching practices of trained teachers in the classroom?

(iii) How has student participation and teacher interaction with female and male students changed after the implementation of GRP in the classroom?

(iv) What differences are there in the application of GRP in the classroom between host and refugee teachers?

(v) What has the KEEP model and training contributed to our understanding of GRP as an approach for improving the learning outcomes of marginalized girls in similar contexts?

(vi) What are the best practices and methodologies to measure and assess the effective application of GRP in the classroom in this context?

Method

The research questions were addressed by gathering data from 20 head teachers, 203 teachers and 685 students (girls and boys) from refugee camps and host community schools. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered using a number of data collection strategies: (a) surveys were conducted to gather data from teachers, head teachers and students; (b) focus groups were carried out with teachers, head teachers and students; (c) interviews were conducted with key informants from organizations responsible for the program; (d) classroom observations were carried out with teachers who had received training in GRP and those who had not received the training; (e) transect walks were carried out with GPR trained teachers whose classrooms were observed, and; (f) a purposively selected number of students were engaged in photo voice methods. The team used the mixed methods non-cross over approach to analyze data. The approach allowed researchers to value and meaningfully analyze qualitative and quantitative data to look for patterns and themes in the findings. Quantitative data were disaggregated, summarized, and described using descriptive techniques such as means, standard deviations, frequencies and percentages. Where appropriate, statistical comparisons were made between groups. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically by developing codes, categories and themes that answered the research questions. The results of the study form the basis for future program planning, and contribute to the growing body of knowledge about GRP as a methodology for improving girls’ learning in highly marginalized settings.

Expected Outcomes

The presentation will elaborate upon a number of findings of the research. For example, the GRP training program created greater awareness about gender equity issues in schools, particularly, the need for greater recognition of, and responsiveness to, girls’ marginalized educational and social circumstances. Findings suggested that the program had a significant impact in areas over which teachers had more control, such as their instructional strategies, and their ability to create an open, caring social-emotional environment for students. In addition, the research team concluded that the sustainability of GRP was related to a number of factors, including: the attitudes and self-efficacy of teachers to improve gender equity; the delivery model of the training; the effectiveness of the monitoring and evaluation of the program; school based leader training; the distribution of incentives; engagement with partners; the effects of culture, religion and community attitudes; recruitment and retention of teachers, particularly women; class size, conditions and resources; and contextual issues such as insecurity and the repatriation of refugees. However, the research concluded that the GRP curricula reinforce a heterosexual understanding of gender that presumes homogeneity in what it means to be a “girl” and/or a “boy.” It also did not acknowledge how intersections of culture, language, religion, class, race and sexuality interact with gender to affect girls’ and boys’ circumstances as learners and citizens. The project was focused exclusively on the classroom dynamic, and as a consequence, families and communities were not aware of its rationale, nor included in the implementation, training or evaluation. Given that what goes on in the classroom is a small microcosm of the entire school and life experience of these children, teachers in these schools have difficult work ahead as they work to address the myriad of gender issues evident within the diverse social landscape of these communities.

References

DeVellis, R. F. (2012). Scale development: Theory and applications (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Forum for African Women Educationist (2009): Improving the quality of teaching and learning: FAWE’s Gender-Responsive Pedagogy model. KENYA: FAWE. Retrieved from http://www.fawe.org/resource/focus/gr-pedagogy-september-2011/index.php Fertman, C. I., & Primack, B. A. (2009). Elementary student self-efficacy scale development and validation focused on student learning, peer relations, and resisting drug use. Journal of Drug Education, 39(1), 23-38. Kawulich, B. B. (2005). Participant Observation as a data collection method. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 6(2), 1-22. Kimaita, J. W., O’Shaughnessy, R., & Ouma, C. O. (2015). Gender responsive pedagogy: A teacher’s handbook. Nairobi: Kenya Equity in Education Project [KEEP]. Miske, S. J. (2013). Exploring the gendered dimensions of teaching and learning. Background paper for the Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2013. New York: United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative. Mlama, P., Dioum, M., Makoye, H., Murage L., Wagah, M., & Washika, R. (2005). Gender responsive pedagogy: A teacher’s handbook. Nairobi, Kenya: FAWE House Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2003). Student engagement at school: A sense of belonging and participation. Results from PISA 2000. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Onwuegbuzie, A., & Combs, J. (2010). Emergent data analysis techniques in mixed methods research: A synthesis. In A. Tashakkori & C. Teddlie (Eds.), Sage handbook of mixed methods in social and behavorial research (pp.397-430). Thousand Oaks Califonia: Sage Publications. Plano Clark, V. L., & Ivankova, N. V. (2016). Mixed methods research: A guide to the field. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications, Inc. Ravitch, S.M., & Carl, N.M. (2016). Quantitative research: Bridging the conceptual, theoretical and methodological. Los Angeles: SAGE. Schunk, D. H. (1991). Self-efficacy and academic motivation. Educational Psychologist, 26(3-4), 207-231. Tschannen-Moran, M., & Woolfolk Hoy, A. (2001). Teacher efficacy: Capturing and elusive construct. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17, 783-805. United Nations Development Programme [UNDPR]. (2016). United Nations Human Development Reports. Retrieved from http://hdr.undp.org/en/composite/GIIhttp://hdr.undp.org/en/content/gender-inequality-index-gii UNESCO. (2015). A guide for gender equality in teacher education policy and practices. France: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Unterhaler, E., North, A., Arnot, M., Llyod, C., Moletsane, L., Murphy-Graham, E., … Saito, M. (2014). Interventions to enhance girls’ education and gender equality. Education Rigorous Literature Review. Department of International Development. Place of publication?

Author Information

Janet Okoko (submitting)

University of Saskatchewan

Educational Administration

Saskatoon

Dawn Wallin (presenting)

University of Saskatchewan, Canada

Laurie Hellsten