Root Cause Analysis - Research Paper Example

Teachers who line up students by gender affirm that both boys and girls should be treated differently. Culture is defined as the totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, institutions, products of human thought and work, arts and beliefs (Sadker, 1994). Cultural competence is a set of values, congruent behaviors, beliefs and attitudes which enable people to work effectively in cross-cultural situations, as defined by Sadker (1994). Culture has a significant effect on how girls from different ethnic backgrounds learn, and instead of being seen as having distinct cultures, its presumed girls are the same as boys but just need a little help (Sadker, 1994).

Implicit cultural assumptions of the school culture have often been imposed to those of other cultures. For example the Euro-American culture of research and communication, that supports cultural etiquettes which regulate appropriate expressions, is a strategy that works for a set of students and the same is true for other cultures. Understanding of labeling results if not sorted out, miscommunication may arise when the cultural etiquettes cross unfamiliar range. . Learning that educational performance and ability is not as important as being popular, is how girls are socialized today (Reay, 2001).

Unlike boys, girls begin to define themselves at an early age. A study of a grade three classroom tested four types of girls in the class: the tomboys, spice girls, nice girls and the girlies. Through interviews conducted, researcher Diane Reay discovered, tomboys played sports with the boys, spice girls espoused girl-power and played ‘rate the boy’ on the play ground, and girlies were a group of girls who spent their time writing letters to and flirting with boys. Her research shows each group of girls defines their own femininities in relation to boys. (2001). By tolerating different behaviors from both girls and boys, the Reay study further shows how socialization of the girls occurs.

Adults negatively view assertive behavior of girls as being disruptive. In Reay’s research, contrary to traditional femininity, the fact that the spice girls asserted themselves differently, it made them subjective to being labeled by their teachers as stubborn girls (2001). This enhances the notion that, boys who misbehave have the ability to assert themselves, while girls who do, are seen to have some kind of character defect (Reay, 2001). Educators who are not aware of the culture of the African American children for instance define their manners and behaviors as defiant and deviant and thus they do not know how to respond to them.

Increase in dropout rates and losses in the time spent on education, are some of the things that happen due to suspension and frequent office visits. Children of color, unlike their white