Expressions of Gender: an Analysis of Pupils' Gendered Discourse Styles in Small Group Classroom Discussions

This article presents data collected from small discussion groups in English classrooms. The research contributes to debates about boys' relative under-achievement in comparison with that of girls, examining the processes of pupils' learning through talk-related activities. Using discourse analysis techniques, the ways in which pupils signal gender allegiances are explored. It is shown how the girls tended to use a linguistic style in which their engagement with the topic was congruent with their relationship with each other, thus enhancing a co-operative climate for learning. Boys' discourse styles tended to be more dislocated; the discourse of learning conflicted with expressions of heterosexual masculinity. Aspects of the boys' discussions constructed definitions of gender which were obstructive to learning, in a manner likely to impact upon examination results, but more importantly sustaining gendered inequity.