Fourth, Sixth, and Eighth Graders' Preferred Writing Topics and Identification of Gender Markers in Stories

Abstract

Approximately 600 students in grades 4, 6, and 8 listed preferred writing topics and identified gender markers they used to identify authors of 9 stories written by students at their grade level. Findings showed that students' topics and views of themselves as writers generally conformed to dominant gendered social meanings: (1) students situated girls' writing within primary territory (related to the writer's family, friends, and home life), whereas they situated boys' writing within tertiary territory (beyond the writer's immediate experience); (2) students viewed girls as more competent, conscientious writers than boys; and (3) students associated the presence of violence with male writers. Implications for instruction are discussed. Teachers need to question stereotypical gender roles and expectations and to create an environment where students question and deconstruct written texts, using writing as a tool for creating new gender meanings that transform daily experiences.