Integrating the Gender Perspective into Literature Studies to Enhance Medical University Students' Gender Awareness and Critical Thinking.

Hung-Chang Liao,Ya-Huei Wang

doi:10.3390/ijerph17249245

Abstract

Objective: This study attempted to integrate the gender perspective into literature studies to allow medical university students to examine internalized gender prescriptions and investigate whether the integration of the gender perspective into literature studies would create any difference among students in gender awareness and critical thinking. Methods: This study used fifteen-week quasi-experimental research to verify the feasibility of using the gender perspective in literature studies to arouse medical university students’ gender awareness and critical thinking. Before and after the intervention, a gender awareness test and a critical thinking disposition test were carried out by both the experimental group (41 students) and control group (41 students). Results: The findings show that regarding gender awareness, with the integration of the gender perspective into literature studies, medical university students had significantly higher post-test scores for “public gender consciousness” and “private gender consciousness.” In regard to critical thinking, they also had significantly better post-test scores in “systematicity and analyticity,” “maturity and skepticism,” and “inquisitiveness and conversance.” Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the integration of the gender perspective into literature studies could result in positive learning outcomes among medical university students in terms of gender awareness and critical thinking.

Highlights

In issues concerning women and men, the terms “gender” and “sex” must be examined
This study investigated whether the integration of the gender perspective into literature This study investigated whether the integration of the gender perspective into literature studies studies would create any difference between students in term of gender awareness and critical would create any difference between students in term of gender awareness and critical thinking
The findings showed that the participants using the gender perspective to study literature findings showed that the participants using the gender perspective to study literature had had significantly higher gender awareness, both in public and private gender consciousness, significantly higher gender awareness, both in public and private gender consciousness, and and significantly higher critical thinking levels in “systematicity and analyticity,” “maturity and significantly higher critical thinking levels in “systematicity and analyticity,” “maturity and skepticism,” and “inquisitiveness and conversance.”

Summary

Introduction

In issues concerning women and men, the terms “gender” and “sex” must be examined. The term “sex” usually refers to the biological categories of male and female, primarily based on reproductive potential, while “gender” refers to the social meaning associated with male or female [1]. Based on social role theory, both men and women have to act differently to confirm the gender stereotypes placed on them [4]. Women must exhibit traditionally feminine behaviors, such as emphasizing personal relationships, while men have to exhibit traditionally masculine behaviors, such as being assertive and being more likely than women to work outside the home [5]. Public Health 2020, 17, 9245; doi:10.3390/ijerph17249245 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion