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In the 1970’s the majority of secondary school students were being educated in mixed comprehensives, with girls and boys getting much the same education. But were they?

Michelle Stanworth set out to explore this question and her study became a benchmark for feminist approaches to the sociology of education.

In the programme she explains why she adopted semi-structured interview methods, how she obtained her quota samples and why interviewees were not fully aware of the purposes of the research. She also illustrates the importance of obtaining both qualitative and quantitative data.

She then discusses her major findings: the gendered nature of teacher-pupil relationships, the greater time given to male pupils and how these differential reactions influenced students’ identities. She also talks about the influence of the study, its limitations and contemporary research in the area.

This programme will be relevant to those studying gender, education and research methods.