Gender Stereotypes in Teachers Running of Co-Curricular Activities at Rhodes Park and Silver Springs Schools

Abstract

This study endeavored to assess gender stereotypes in teachers’ running of co-curricular activities at Rhodes Park and Silver Spring Schools in Lusaka District. The research was done with the guidance of the following research objectives: to document the types of co-curricularactivities thatmale and female teachers do at Rhodes Park and Silver Spring Schools, to examine factors that influence male and female teachers to run these particular activities and to find out whether the running of co-curricular activities by a male or female teacher has an impact on the pupils ’co-curricular preferences. The researcher collected data using semi-structured in-depth interview guides and questionnaires. The researcher employed qualitative and quantitative methods in the collection and analysis of data. In terms of theory, a comprehensive literature review was carried out to determine the works other researchers had done in the area of co-curricular activities, especially is relation to teachers’ participation and gender. There was is equal participation rate in activities such as Athletics, Mathematics Club and Handwriting. Although there were disparities in participation rates between males and female teachers in JETS club, the disparities could not be attributed to gender stereotyping. This is because some female teachers and some girls competed favourably with their male counterparts. The findings concerning factors that influence teachers to run co-curricular activities showed that head teachers were very supportive to the teachers by equally distributing resources; supervising and evaluating the activities. However, very few teachers reported to have received incentives for the activities they were running. The study also found out that the running of co-curricular activities by male or female teachers had an impact on the pupils’ co-curricular preferences.Although the schools had put in place a policy that promotes gender equality, there were no guidelines and tools or strategies that were used to implement the policy. Since females competed with males in subjects like Mathematics and Science and participated in co-curricular activities equally with boys, co-curricular activities can be used to challenge gender stereotypes. If schools mainstreamed gender in all their programmes, interventions and co-curricular activities, gender stereotypes could be overcome. The findings from the research reveal that there are no gender stereotypes in co-curricular activities in the two schools under study. Co-curricular activities could be used to challenge gender stereotypes. The researcher therefore, recommends that female teachers should be encouraged to take up science as a teaching subject so that the number of female teachers that run co-curricular activities such as JETS could increase. Head teachers should also give incentives to the excelling teachers so that they are encouraged to perform better in co-curricular activities.