Hidden Curriculum in Physical Education: Gender Stereotypes and Equality

Posted on Nov 29, 2024 in Psychology and Sociology

What is the Hidden Curriculum?

  • It highlights major differences with the official curriculum.

Joint experiences unofficial, undeclared unintended (hidden). Expressed in the values, attitudes and beliefs (“pedagogy implicit”).

It differs from the official curriculum in which the latter is formalized, clear and explicit. It is a manifesto of objectives, evaluation criteria and content.

Hidden Curriculum Load in Physical Education

  • Why do we say that the contents of our subject have much “load” of the hidden curriculum?

For heavily loaded develops cultural content (body schema, body techniques, etc.) also transmits dominant stereotypes (identification of morphotypes)

  • Male / limitations
  • Female / Limitations

Gender Qualities and Characteristics

  • The culture has been identified for each gender a number of qualities or characteristics. What, in each case?

Children: Competitiveness, activity, strength, aggressiveness, dynamism.

Girls: Affectivity, passivity, tenderness, emotional instability, gentleness and submission.

Transmitters of the Hidden Curriculum

  • Name three elements that can be transmitters of the hidden curriculum. Fundament one of those elements.
  • Code of gender in language and attitudes. (Use generic terms students, children …)
  • Systematic denial and ridicule of the feminine (the girls’ participation in class is smaller. The girls have to assimilate to join a male model)
  • Expectations of teachers on students. Students receive consistent information about what the company “expected to be” based on the sex to which they belong (stereotypes). Many times the expectations of professional socially established reinforce stereotypes.

Gender Burden in Physical Education

  • Of the two basic aspects of our subject one of them has the highest burden of gender. What is it? Fundamental.

The two axes are body and movement in our subject’s body is more influenced by gender burden on this society (ideological, cultural and gender), both in form and substance. Learning must be a neutral between physical actions and physical condition, but currently the second premium on the former.

Role of Physical Education Teachers in Correcting Stereotypes

What is the role of physical education teacher in correcting existing stereotypes regarding gender? What other variables involved in this process?

It needs to match a number of factors (social, economic, environmental, etc.). But the school must offer a variety of models to show the key to equal opportunities. If not corrected and catalyze the stereotypes, the objectives are masculinized. Changing the mindset of teachers in EF must be accompanied by a change of mainstream staff where the focus should submit a PEC to help bring about equal potential.

Masculine Gender Model in Physical Education

7. Why do we say that the “model offered” in Physical Education agrees more with the masculine gender with the feminine?

Because plans are generally thinking of a “student type” without taking into account the particularities of each group in terms of gender. It designs, develops and evaluates a particular program based on a “prototype” (usually male) because they often have greater motivation.

Promoting Gender Equality in Physical Education

  • Develops three actions that can be carried out by teachers to promote equality of opportunity between the sexes.
  • Monitor and analyze our attitudes and the students. Also we must be aware of our commitment to change existing inequalities and insert proposals and interactions in the curriculum documents (PEC).

On the other hand we observe and analyze the conceptual schemes of student and staff performance as transmitters of stereotypes.

  • Avoid promoting standardization and customization we should not treat all students equally because they perpetuate the gap. We must propose activities for disassembly.
  • Knowing how to act when detected sexist and negative behaviors in our classrooms:
    • That students are able to organize activities common to both genders in which everyone feels comfortable.
    • Clear AF development of causal attribution according to gender in society.
    • Students must be able to use the body and movement as an instrument of expression and communication.

Reinforcing Elements of Stereotypes

  • There are a number of “reinforcing element” of conceptual schemes or stereotypes, which are briefly develops one.

Clothing, space, games (important) and toys.

Spaces: Studies show that children tend to occupy more space while girls took the small spaces left by them.

Promoting Real Equality in Physical Education

10. As to promote real equality of opportunity “in physical education, using the large blocks of content, provides two simple actions or thoughts in primary and two secondary.

Primary: Ensure that the physical skills do not meet the stereotypes rewarded.

Secondary: Find a variety of sports to meet the needs of all. A good option is the inclusion of modern dances which apply equally to boys and girls.