The comments included in termly school reports enable teachers to provide personalised feedback on each pupil’s progress. But are they always a strict evaluation of pupils’ work and behaviour? A statistical analysis of school reports issued to more than 600,000 sixth-form students in the science stream between 2013 and 2017 reveals, on the contrary, differences in the comments depending on the pupil’s gender.
These differences stem primarily from the vocabulary used by teachers to describe the behaviour of girls and boys. However, in science subjects – and particularly in those leading to degree programmes where men are over-represented – these differences can also be explained by the use of distinct terms to describe the skills of girls and boys at the same academic level. On the one hand, the gendered vocabulary associated with behaviour reflects assessments relating to the perceived immaturity of boys and aims to encourage girls for their efforts and diligence. On the other hand, the gendered vocabulary associated with skills reflects assessments of girls’ shortcomings on the one hand, and boys’ aptitudes on the other.
The influence of teachers who make more extensive use of gendered vocabulary tends to be limited in the short term, both in terms of performance in the baccalaureate and pupils’ post-baccalaureate educational choices.
