Boys are Like Puppies, Girls Aim to Please: How Teachers’ Gender Stereotypes may Influence Student Placement Decisions and Classroom Teaching

Since teachers’ decisions and behaviour potentially influence learners’ future academic and occupational status, it is imperative that these decisions be unbiased. In the study reported here, 21 teachers were invited to place 24 fictional student record cards into regular, advanced, or supplementary learning assistance classes. Study findings revealed that teachers’ perceptions of the differences between male and female learners were clearly defined and, on some occasions, did influence teachers’ decisions regarding at which achievement level to place student record cards. Findings, as well as the research method employed, may provide teacher educators with useful tools for sensitizing teachers to the implications of their beliefs and biases as well as encouraging awareness toward specific instances of gender stereotyping in the classroom.