Data Gathering Strategies Talking ]
A lot of what schools find out about gender equity comes about simply through talking. Talking about what the issues are and what needs to be done can involve talking to the range of people described in the previous section and it can involve talk in many forms; interviews, formal and informal discussions; workshops; talking to individuals or talking to groups.
In the following examples a range of `talk forums' is presented; a range of situations which schools have used to become better informed about issues in their school. Some are situations that have been specifically set up for the task; others are existing situations that schools have tapped into to note aspects of gender. Though the whole school context is not described with each example, sufficient information is given to enable readers to gauge the usefulness, possibly with adaptations, of the strategy for other school contexts.
Talking about gender equity needs in staff meetings is an obvious and almost mundane example to suggest. Staff meetings are so regular an occurrence, that schools can easily under-estimate their usefulness in undertaking a needs analysis. Staff meetings can serve a number of functions in the process of gender equity reform.
From this study, the following examples of such staff meetings emerged.
EXAMPLE 6 STAFF MEETING
Purpose:
To talk about boys, the way they learn and the way they relate to the staff and the way they relate to each other
Procedure:
Administrative staff present the issue
Staff split into random groups to discuss three aspects ...
Responses fed back on paper and collated
Collated responses fed back to staff
Second staff meeting to decide what to do
Outcome:
Development of a Pastoral Care program to incorporate issues of concern from the two staff meetings
EXAMPLE 7 STAFF MEETING - DSP
Purpose:
To brainstorm the needs of the school
Procedure:
Each year in third term, the whole school meets in an extended staff meeting time, together with students and parents
This followed about three weeks later with a Solutions Meeting, where the group meets again to brainstorm solutions to the perceived needs
Outcome:
DSP-funded programs to address school needs (including gender equity) for the following year
EXAMPLE 8 STAFF MEETING
Purpose:
To outline administration's concerns about harassment and bullying and to get some feedback on staff perceptions
Procedure:
Three key papers were presented ...
Staff divided into ongoing Staff Support Groups of six led by senior staff and other selected staff who have been seen to be very good role models for both boys and girls
Each group to ...
Outcome:
Procedure in place to plan strategies at classroom, curricular and playground levels
EXAMPLE 9 STUDENT CAMP
Purpose:
To provide a supportive context for intense, frank and open discussion on a range of personal matters
Procedure:
Single sex `health camps' for Years 10, 11 and 12, run by male and female members of staff with outside assistance
Encouragement of open discussion in a non-threatening environment
Listening to individual stories often the catalyst for other students to share their experiences
Example was given of a girl (two years ago) talking about being sexually abused. That brought out a whole lot of other experiences where girls had had varying degrees of sexual abuse
Outcome:
Psycho-therapist brought into the school for a while to deal with issues of sexual abuse
EXAMPLE 10 STUDENT WORKSHOPS
Purpose:
To heighten the awareness of all departments to gender equity issues from the perspective of the students
Procedure:
Gender workshops with groups of approximately 20 students
`Brainstorming' about, for example, 'What's it like in the playground?' Students think about going out to lunch the previous day and recall all the gender issues that struck them in that 40 minute period.
Ranking the issues that were most important for them
Ranking the issues according to frequency of occurrence
Role playing of short two minute vignettes of typical playground scenes
Decoding of incidents in terms of ...
Reducing and ranking to get five key issues
Outcomes:
Issues presented to staff for action
EXAMPLE 11 STUDENT TALKS
Purpose:
To provide a supportive climate in which students feel comfortable to 'come and talk', to report incidents of violence and bullying
Procedure:
`Violence' labelled and openly discussed
Girls encouraged not to be docile and to challenge
Boys encouraged to report incidents of violence
Strategies for dealing with violence discussed
`Dobbing' confronted and discussed
Outcomes:
Decrease in the level of violence in the school
Students equipped with strategies to handle violence - and to report if unable to resolve themselves
EXAMPLE 12 STUDENT, PARENT, TEACHER INTERVIEWS
Purpose:
To gather school data on gender issues as a basis for the development of a bullying and harassment policy, and especially to ensure that the policy was responsive to local needs, rather than to research done elsewhere
Procedure:
Extensive interviewing (over a period of 18 months) of students, parents and staff. Parents also encouraged to write to the school about their concerns
All student were interviewed on the `hot spots', the problem areas in the school
Students were then interviewed on the different procedures that they were concerned with
Students in Years 7, 9 & 11 were interviewed more extensively because they were seen to be more useful informants
Outcomes:
Relevant local data for school's bullying and harassment policy
Ownership of problem by students, parents and staff