Middle School Students as Social Theorists: Using a Short-Term Unit to Engage Students in Thinking Critically about Gender

Abstract

Because middle school is a time of identity development, it may also be an appropriate time to focus on students' conceptions of social roles. This article examines a unit focused on gender roles taught to a group of seventh grade language arts students at a private, urban school. The students deconstructed and reconstructed their gender schemas, gained awareness of gender as a lens, and began to question the adequacy of the male/female binary model. The findings suggest that ideas typically found in college-level courses may have appropriate applications in classrooms of much younger students.

Indonesian students' perception of gender equity in education

“…A patriarchal cultural style legitimized by the interpretation of religious understanding and gender inequity is assumed biological, taken for granted (Adriany, 2019). The reality is that gender is not neutral or free from values and is not merely a biological matter, yet social construction in interaction with others (Adriany, 2019;Osgood & Robinson, 2017;Sallee, 2011;Tosolt, 2009). Also, one of the terms adapted from Islam is 'kodrat' (nature), which is embedded in Indonesian Communities.…”