Gender approach in teaching chemistry in final secondary school classes in private schools in Lubumbashi/Haut-Katanga

Abstract

This article, which presents the situation of the teaching and learning of chemistry among pupils in the final classes of secondary school in private schools, is the fruit of long and meticulous observation. Our personal experience as a teacher has shown us that there are fewer girls than boys in the biology-chemistry course and they are a minority in the faculties of engineering and exact sciences. On the other hand, they prefer to turn massively towards sectors considered to be less prestigious and which lead to less paid professions such as the cutting and sewing sector. It is also significant that these less prestigious and paid professions are also predominantly female professions. This article is particularly interested in defenders of the cause of women and the academic performance and performance in chemistry of girls and boys in secondary schools in private schools in Lubumbashi. It first presents the breakdown of students by gender. Then, it is interested in the descriptive data taken from the questionnaires intended for pupils and teachers concerning two fields of information: 1) Influence of the choice of the biology-chemistry sector 2) Concentration between girls and boys in chemistry class. The article also examines the relationships between performance in chemistry and variables in these two fields.