Background information
Children are in their developmental stages, and thus they are prone to influence by the forces in the environment in which they reside. The culture and other environmental factors such as exposure to gender-sensitive TV programs or movies may influence their development significantly. Whitehead asserts that culture determines the educational performance of a child and his or her intelligence levels (103).
Overemphasizing the gender differences may illuminate the child’s perceptions regarding gender roles and heighten intergroup bias among children. Disney movies are some of the examples of the films that may influence a child’s perceptions regarding gender stereotypes. This paper seeks to uncover the effects that the environment has in the advancement of gender stereotypes among kids.
To achieve the stated objective, the paper shall review two articles based on the topic to highlight the role of the environment in the development of a child. The paper shall also discuss the movie “Mulan” to give insight to the reader about the role of gender-sensitive movies and programs on a child’s development.
Differing Levels of Gender Salience in Preschool Classrooms: Effects on the Children’s Gender Attitudes and Intergroup Bias
Theoretical background and Findings by other researchers
The research presented in this article is founded on the developmental intergroup theory that predicts a strong relationship between the child’s environment and the intensity of gender stereotypes and gender biases.
The theory states that in an environment where gender differences are evident, children tend to have elevated biases and stereotypes (Hilliard and Liben 1793). However, in an environment where gender differences are not emphasized, the children tend to exhibit less bias and reduced stereotypes.
The study reviews articles with similar findings to support the research hypothesis that the environment in which the child grows in largely influences his/her perception regarding gender stereotypes and gender biases. Some of the articles reviewed by the authors to justify the hypothesis include Aboud, 2003; Cameron, Alvarez, Ruble, & Fuligni, 2001; Killen & McKown, 2005; Nesdale, 2004; Rutland, Cameron, Milne, & McGeorge, 2005.
Objectives of the current study
This study sought to add to the currently available literature about the role of the child’s environment in the escalation of gender bias and stereotypes. The study was premised on the findings by other scholars in the field that the overemphasis on gender differentials contributes to the advancement of gender bias and stereotypes.
How was the study conducted?
The researchers employed both the qualitative and the quantitative methods to conduct this study. The qualitative method involved the use of questionnaires to solicit information regarding the topic from the participating children. The quantitative methods, on the other hand, involved observations of the children’s behaviors by the author in the period of the study. The study recruited a sample population of 57 preschool children aged between 3 and 5 years.
The study population was divided into two groups namely, the study and the control group. The teachers presiding over the study group were instructed to use gender-specific languages when addressing the kids. The sitting arrangements for the kids were to reflect gender differences where the boys would sit separately from the girls. Such differences were not affected in the control group.
Findings from the study
The findings from this research were congruent with the findings by other researchers in the field of psychology. In classes with high gender salience, the male pupils saw their female counterparts as inferiors. Similarly, the female students saw their male counterparts as inferiors.
Children from this class avoided inter-gender interaction or play. The pupils from the control group would interact freely regardless of the gender differences. Therefore, in conclusion, the study team found that gender salience elevated the out-group bias and advanced gender stereotypes.
How do the concepts in the article relate to what we have discussed in class?
The role of gender salience in elevating gender stereotypes have been discussed in class. In class, we learned that gender salience illuminates group bias whereby each gender perceives the other as inferior. The findings from the research are congruent with the mentioned concept that we learned in class.
What is the importance of this information?
The topic explored by the researchers is an important one in parenting and teaching. Gender stereotypes and biases are attributed to the escalation of children rivalry. Sibling rivalry if not mitigated in time may escalate to uncontrollable levels and may lead to harmful activities in the later stages of the kids’ development.
In that regard, parents and teachers need to mitigate the vice before it escalates to uncontrollable levels. The mentioned groups may use the study findings to reduce children rivalry through discouraging gender salience both in school and at home.
What is your opinion of this article, its topic, and the findings?
The article builds on the Krathwohl’s Chain of reasoning whereby each aspect of research procedure is reflected. All the necessary information regarding the methodology and the findings are well documented enhancing the understandability of the article by the reader.
Parental beliefs and children’s school performance.” Child development”
Theoretical background and Findings by other researchers
The study is premised on the findings by other researchers in the field who recognize the existence of parental differences emanating from cultural diversity. The study specifically draws from the findings by Kohn (1969) who argued that the parents’ social class influences both the parenting and the child’s performance at school.
The argument by Sternberg (1985) that culture influences the children levels of intelligence also shapes this research. The authors analyze articles from different scholars in the field to justify their intention to explore the topic. Goodnow, 1988; Goodnow & Collins,1991; Miller, 1988 among other authors all concur that the parent’s culture influences the child’s level of intelligence and the acquisition of either the autonomous skills or the conformity skills.
Objectives of the research
The primary objective of this research was to examine parental beliefs about child rearing, intelligence, and education and to consider the relation between parental beliefs and children’s school performance (Okagaki and Sternberg 47). The secondary objectives of the study were as follows:
- To determine the parents’ perceptions regarding what teachers should teach the preschool children
- To determine the role of the parents’ perception on learning to the child’s performance in school
How was the present study conducted?
This study recruited the participants from parents drawn from a cross-section of cultures. Teachers of the participating kids were also recruited for the study. The researchers employed the quantitative method to solicit the relevant data from the study population. The questionnaire was specifically used to collect data from both the parents and the teachers.
The questions were designed to collect information regarding the parents’ perception of intelligence coupled with what they expected teachers to teach their children. The questionnaires for teachers, on the other hand, contained questions that required the teachers to describe the pupils’ performance in class. The parents’ perceptions regarding intelligence were then compared to the child’s performance as indicated in the questionnaires filled by the teachers.
What were the results/findings of the present study?
The study revealed that culture influenced the intelligence levels of each kid since the parents had different definitions of what comprised intelligence. The culture of the parent influenced the kind of skills they imparted to their kids during parenting. The skills imparted by the parents at the preschool period influence the child’s performance in school.
How do the concepts in the article relate to what we have discussed in class?
The concept of the role of culture in shaping a child’s performance in class has been discussed in details in class. This study illuminates the applicability of culture and social classes in shaping the educational performance in class.
What is the importance of this information?
The information provided in this paper is relevant in teaching and parenting. The teachers may use the study findings to explain the differences in the intelligence levels of each kid. Moreover, it helps teachers to identify the educational needs of each kid in situations where they are faced with diversity in the classroom.
What is your opinion of this article, its topic, and the findings?
The main strength that the article has is that it presents the findings of the research in a clear and concise manner to allow the reader to comprehend every concept. The article summarizes the findings based on each research question. The connection between the culture and the child’s educational development is clearly explained in the paper.
The Mulan
Synopsis
The movie revolves around a young woman, Mulan, who disguises as a man to participate in a war with the men in the society. Her decision to disguise as a man and join the men warriors is caused by her desire to save his father from engaging in the fight due to his old age. Every family in the community has to produce a man to participate in the war.
In the Mulan’s family, no other male apart from her father who is old and weak to participate in the war. The woman joins the troop, and they defeat the enemies. On their return home, the warriors discover that Mulan was actually a woman. The king spares her from execution only because she saved him from being killed in the war. The community’s norms prohibit women from participating in defending the community, and the defying women are executed.
Lessons and impacts of the movie to children viewers
The movie affects both the male and the female children in many aspects. Firstly, the movie portrays the male warriors as persons who are above average regarding their physical ability. The portrayal of men as superior to their female counterparts may influence the children’s perception regarding gender roles.
The message sent to the male children is that for them to be successful, they must be strong and brave. The strength and bravery of men are stereotypical since not all successful men are physically strong. In other words, success is not related to the physical strength as depicted in the movie.
Secondly, the movie sends a message of differences in the roles of both genders. In the movie, Mulan is almost executed for wrongfully participating in the war. Women in the society the movie revolves around are seen as weak, and they cannot participate in defending the community against attacks. The defense of the community is the exclusive role of men and women should never engage in such endeavors.
The kids watching the movie might be driven into believing that women are inferior and that they must rely on men for protection. Most Disney movies portray men as strong people who have the ability to defend their women in wars (“Gender Roles in Disney Movies”). The assertion is illuminated in the movie “Mulan” where the men’s ability to defend the community is exaggerated.
Women watching the movie will be influenced into believing that they are inferior and that they require a man to be safe. In the onset of the fight, the warriors mobilize each family to produce a male to go into the war. The fighter that each family sends to the group must be a male irrespective of age or the physical strength of the male in question.
The emphasis laid on the gender as regards to the fight is illustrative of the community’s perception of men being stronger than the females. Mulan narrowly escapes execution by the male fighters for disguising as a male and going to the fight. It is against the customs of the community in question for females to engage in fighting activities.
Thirdly, the dressing code of the Disney actors sends a strong message to children and especially to the female viewers (“Mulan-I’ll Make a Man Out of You”). In most films, Mulan being one of them, the female actors are in long skirts with a thin waste. The queen is specifically depicted as slim and beautiful. Her cladding is different from other women in the society.
The physical appearance of the queen coupled with her decent look may motivate young girls to aspire to be queens to earn respect from the society. Besides, the young women may want to maintain a slim figure to resemble the queen. The young female viewers are encouraged to remain slim and beautiful to resemble the queen. The mentioned view is stereotypical since not all slim and beautiful women become princesses.
Lastly, in the movie, the community members accord the king great respect, and her decisions are not disputable by any other authority. Moreover, the community accords the queen great respect. The lesson to the children regarding the mentioned observation is that for men to be respected, they must occupy powerful positions such as kingship to have a say in the community.
The girls, on the other hand, they are encouraged to strive to become queens to be respected and to be protected by the king. This aspect may deter the female kids from working hard in schools to beat their male counterparts. Their vision may change from becoming what they desire to striving to find a successful man to marry in the future.
Patterson and Bigler claim that young girls are contemplating to be princesses to benefit from the respect accorded to them by the community (856). This view holds because in most movies, the princesses are portrayed as respected personalities who are superior to other civilian women.
Works Cited
Gender Roles in Disney Movies 2008. Web.
Hilliard, Lacey, and Lynn Liben. “Differing levels of gender salience in preschool classrooms: Effects on children’s gender attitudes and intergroup bias.” Child Development 81.6 (2010): 1787-1798. Print.
Mulan-I’ll Make a Man Out of You 2007. Web.
Okagaki, Lynn, and Robert Sternberg. “Parental beliefs and children’s school performance.” Child Development 64.1 (1993): 36-56. Print.
Patterson, Meagan, and Rebecca Bigler. “Preschool children’s attention to environmental messages about groups: Social categorization and the origins of intergroup bias.” Child Development 77.4 (2006): 847-860. Print.
Whitehead, Tisha. Educational risk factors for students in single and dual parent households. 2006. PDF file. Web.