Amanda Pinzon, Laura L. Alpaugh
Increasing Female Class Participation in a Fifth Grade Math Classroom
There has been an observable trend in education centered around the class participation
of girls versus boys. Females tend to be less active than their male counterparts
when it comes to voluntary participation. Math is a particularly difficult subject
in which girls struggle to have their voices heard. Reasons behind this trend may
vary from personal perception issues to simple learning styles and preferences. Whatever
the culprit, there seems to be much left unsaid in the co-ed classroom. While there
is largely agreement that young girls should have more of a voice in the classroom,
little study has be done to investigate how to improve this at the elementary level.
While these grades do not contain the mathematical rigor of more advanced levels,
the time is still a vital period of personal development.
The purpose of this study is to investigate what continues to hold back many girls
from participating in math class while their boy classmates seem to volunteer themselves
at a whim. While uncovering these truths, the goal is also to encourage girls to increase
participation through one-on-one encouragement and mentorship. A group of eleven fifth
grade girls is selected based on observed low participation and receive authorization
from their guardians to participate in this study. This action research is conducted
with a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods to record the progress of each
girl through a period of 4 weeks throughout implementation. Intervention is conducted
inside and outside of the classroom. Through a mix of intervention methods, it is
found that improved participation results vary depending on the girl and the circumstances
and seems highly dependent on constant intervention. However, a positive impact is
reflected by the observable data of a number of girls.