“Supporting our Lost Boys”: A Research on Gender-based Science Education’s Hidden Curriculum in Malaysia

Abstract

Malaysia has had tremendous success in increasing women participation in science-related fields by diffusing empowering values into the formal school curricula. A subliminal effect of these female empowerment campaigns, however, is that male students are beginning to lag behind in science education, giving rise to the phenomenon known as "The Lost Boys." In light of the potential for a hidden curriculum to support gender-sensitive or gender-responsive science education, this research was aimed at exploring the hidden curriculum in science education and its impact on boys in science education. This research used the classical Delphi method involving 84 experts, whereby two rounds of questionnaires and one round of qualitative commentaries were used to gather information from a group of experts. Gender-biased notions were found in science education’s hidden curriculum, including the proliferation of feminist messages through outside classroom activities, the lack of gender awareness in teaching and training, and the centering of female mentoring in the field. This research further recommends strategies to explicitly address gender-biased issues in science education’s hidden curriculum to benefit both female and male students’ participation in science. It is hoped that this research serves as a guide for policy makers, school leaders and teachers to achieve gender equity in science education.