Gender and Schooling

This study was designed to determine the qualitative differences in the responses of participants in ethnography of schooling. Five research questions were used to interrogate the understanding of fifty participants, and data were collected through the participant observation, interviews, focus group discussions and the diary. Data were analysed through analytic induction and grounded theorising. Results show qualitative differences in the way participants responded to issues about schooling. Results also show differences in the patterns of interaction and socialisation processes amongst these participants. The thesis therefore argues that qualitative research methods as demonstrated in this thesis could play important supplementary role to quantitative research finding on gender issues in education. It is equally clear from the study that the qualitative methods of data collection and analyses have the ability to capture the internal processes within the individuals' lived experiences, which may not be achieved through the quantitative approaches. On the basis of such findings, which have implications for female and male education, some useful recommendations are made.