Gender Differences In Children Research Articles

Assessment of Turkish and class teacher candidates’ attitudes towards children's literature and children's literature lesson

Purpose of this research is to reveal class and Turkish teacher candidates’ attitudes towards children's literature lesson, and works of children's literature. Study group of this research is comprised of students from Classroom Teaching and Turkish Teaching Departments of Faculty of Education of Atatürk University. Answers were sought for the level of classroom teaching and pre- school teacher candidates’ towards children's literature lesson, and works of children's literature, and whether there is any significant difference is seen in classroom teaching and pre-school teacher candidates’ towards children's literature lesson, and works of children's literature in terms gender, and departments. Having the research conducted according to survey method (2007), “Attitude Scale towards Children's Literature, and Children's Literature Lesson”, having been developed by …, and comprised of 35 articles, was made use of. At the end of the research, it was concluded that teacher candidates had developed a positive attitude towards children's literature, and children's literature lesson, and neither gender, nor field differences had significantly affected that attitude. © 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The Relationships Between 'Emotional Competence of Young Children and Mothers' Emotional Expression across to Gender'

The purpose of this study is to examine gender differences of young child's emotional competence and the relationship between emotional competence and the variation of mother's emotional expression across child's gender. The subjects of this study are selected from twelve Kindergartens and Child Care Centers located in Taegu and Gu-Mi. They are 326 children who are aged 5 to 6 and their mother. The children's Kindergarten teachers rated children's emotional competence as using measure of Woo's(2002) Emotional Competence Index for Children. The measurement of emotional expression of their mothers are measured by using the SEFQ developed by Halderstadt and his colleagues(1995) and adjusted by Seo(2006). Statistical analyses by using SPSS Win 14.0K are descriptive statistics including mean and standard deviation, t-test, and Pearson's correlation. Especially, Pearson's correlation is used to examine the relations between child's emotional competence and mother's emotional expression. The findings of this study are as follows: First, statistically significant gender differences in young child's emotional competence were found between boys and girls. Girls' emotional competence in, emotional expression, emotional recognition of others, emotional regulation, empathy, and emotional language was significantly higher than those of boys. Second, there were not found to be significant differences in mother's emotional expression according to child's gender. Third, testing the relationships between young children's emotional competence and mother's emotional expression showed that girls' emotional competence was somewhat related to mother's positive and negative emotional expression, while boys' emotional competence does not have an association with mothers' emotional expression. Therefore, these results showed that not only young children's gender but also mother's emotional expression was an important variable in young children's strategies of emotion competence.

Gender Differences in Children's Internet Use

This paper analyses comparative empirical data from across Europe on gender differences in children's Internet use, and through a new interpretive framework on young people's experiences, seeks to add new findings to this growing international knowledge base. Linking feminist theory on gender and technology with theories of youth gender identity construction, four key areas are investigated. Firstly, the impact of increased Internet access and use in schools and in homes on gender equality is examined. Secondly, youth communication and content creation practices are investigated to explore whether the Internet is facilitating flexibility in gender identity and the transcendence of traditional gender roles. Thirdly, gender differences in skills and perceptions of expertise are discussed. Finally, Internet activities which demonstrate overtly gender-stereotypical masculine attributes—pornography and action/violent game playing—are discussed. We argue that gender remains a salient factor in researching the complexity of young people's Internet use and call for multiple theoretical perspectives to contribute to further research on this topic.

Age and gender differences in health-related quality of life of children and adolescents in Europe: a multilevel analysis

To determine age and gender differences in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children and adolescents across 12 European countries using a newly developed HRQOL measure (KIDSCREEN). The KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire was filled in by 21,590 children and adolescents aged 8-18 from 12 countries. We used multilevel regression analyses to model the hierarchical structure of the data. In addition, effect sizes were computed to test for gender differences within each age group. Children generally showed better HRQOL than adolescents (P < 0.001). While boys and girls had similar HRQOL at young age, girls' HRQOL declined more than boys' (P < 0.001) with increasing age, depending on the HRQOL scale. There was significant variation between countries both at the youngest age and for age trajectories. For the first time, gender and age differences in children's and adolescents' HRQOL across Europe were assessed using a comprehensive and standardised instrument. Gender and age differences exist for most HRQOL scales. Differences in HRQOL across Europe point to the importance of national contexts for youth's well-being.

Gender differences in children's use of discourse markers: Separate worlds or different contexts?

This study examines the role of activity context in gender differences in children's use of discourse markers. Thirty-six children, ages 3–5 years of age, were observed in naturalistic peer conversation during lunch. Discourse markers were coded for discourse function and conversational activity context. There was a significant relationship between gender and activity context, and between activity context and the discourse functions it demands. This study suggests that the conversational activity in which a child engages selects for certain discourse marker functions and not others. This selection can account for the gender differences observed in discourse marker use. There are no significant gender differences when discourse marker use is examined within a given activity context. Role-play context is the exception to this general finding.

Financial Transfers to Husbands' and Wives' Elderly Mothers in Mexico: Do Couples Exhibit Preferential Treatment by Lineage?

The aim of this study was to contrast the likelihood that a husband's elderly mother receives financial assistance from a couple with that of a wife's mother. Prior U.S.-based research has documented a strong bias toward transfers to wives' parents. The authors aimed to extend this literature to Mexico, where financial help from adult children is a critical source of support for a rapidly aging population lacking institutional assistance. The authors' approach to modeling competition between mothers accounted for the nature of their need. The results demonstrate that among mothers of similar financial need, a husband's mother is twice as likely to receive financial assistance as a wife's mother. In contrast, when faced with personal care needs, a wife's mother is disproportionately favored. These results reflect gender differences in Mexican adult children's responsibility for family members' financial and physical well-being. The findings uncover new complexity in the patterns by which couples transfer money to parents of different lineage.

Gender, Peer Relations, and Challenges for Girlfriends and Boyfriends Coming Together in Adolescence

This paper examines how girls' and boys' different peer cultures in middle childhood may set the stage for challenges in emerging heterosexual romantic relationships in adolescence. Two theoretical frameworks are presented for understanding gender differences in children's same-gender friendships and peer groups in middle childhood: the two cultures perspective (Maccoby, 1998) and the emotional tradeoffs perspective (Rose & Rudolph, 2006). Emerging empirical evidence is presented to highlight how girls' and boys' gendered friendship qualities may relate to difficulties when girls and boys come together in early romantic relationships. Preliminary longitudinal data are presented that suggest that girls' relational and boys' physical aggression toward same-gender peers in middle childhood may relate to having emotionally intense arguments in early adolescence. Implications for prevention and intervention are discussed.

Gender differences in preschool children’s recall of competitive and noncompetitive computer mathematics games

This study investigated whether competitive and noncompetitive educational mathematics computer games influence four‐ to seven‐year‐old boys’ and girls’ recall of game‐playing experience. A qualitative analysis was performed to investigate what preschool children may have learned through their selective recall of game‐playing experience. A difference emerged in six‐ to seven‐year‐old boys’ and girls’ recall after playing a competitive computer mathematics game, such that boys tended to first recall the consequence of ‘winning and losing’ whereas girls of the same age focused on ‘friendship among animated characters’ in the game. Thus, the qualitative results suggest the possibility that selective attention or selective recall might be partially influenced by gender schemas. Based on the recall sequences, educational noncompetitive computer mathematics games may lead to a better learning outcome for older boys.

Accessibility of Gender Stereotype Domains: Developmental and Gender Differences in Children

The present research examined developmental and gender differences in the relative accessibility of different gender stereotype domains. A 1988 Northeastern US sample of 256 children ages 3 to 10 years old provided open-ended descriptions of girls and boys. Responses were coded by domain to examine differences by grade, gender of participant, and gender of target. Analyses revealed that girls and older children provided a higher proportion of stereotypes, and that appearance stereotypes were particularly prevalent in descriptions of girls and activity/trait stereotypes were more prevalent in descriptions of boys. Results are discussed in terms of implications for research on the stereotype knowledge-behavior link and the need for more attention to the role of appearance stereotypes in the gender stereotype literature.

Do Sons or Daughters Give More Money to Parents in Urban China?

The patriarchal structure of the traditional Chinese family suggests that sons, more than daughters, provide financial support to elderly parents. The norm of receiving support in old age primarily from sons, however, may have been undermined by dramatic demographic, economic, and cultural changes occurring over the last several decades in China, especially in urban areas. We examine gender differences in adult children's financial support to parents using a recent dataset ("Study of Family Life in Urban China") collected in 1999 (N = 1,801). The results show that married daughters, especially those living with parents, provide more financial support to parents than married sons do. This significant gender difference can be primarily explained by daughters' resources, such as education and income.

Apolipoprotein A-V is a Potent Modulator of HDL and VLDL Components in Preadolescent Children

Mice lacking apolipoprotein A-V (apoA-V) displayed an increase in serum triglyceride (TG) levels; however, the correlation of apoA-V levels with TG levels in humans is controversial, and the exact mechanism by which apoA-V affects TG levels is unclear. The aim of the present study was to clarify the impact of apoA-V on the lipoprotein subclass profile in preadolescent children, which has not been studied. The study subjects were 178 (89 male, 89 female) 4th grade elementary school children (mean+/-SD: 9.5+/-0.5 years old). ApoA-V levels were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the lipid component of each lipoprotein fraction and their particle sizes were measured by HPLC. Levels of apoA-V showed no gender difference in preadolescent children, and were not affected by anthropometric variables. ApoA-V had a negative association with serum TG levels and TG levels in each lipoprotein fraction, and a positive association with HDL-C. In particular, apoA-V appears to contribute to the increase in cholesterol levels in the larger HDL fraction. It was suggested that apoA-V is a potent modulator of HDL and VLDL components in preadolescent children.

Gender differences in children's pathways to independent mobility

This paper presents some empirical findings relating to the independent mobility of children in two parts of south-east England – one a south London borough, the other a suburban county north of London. In both locations boys appear to enjoy greater mobility than girls, and become independent much earlier. But closer analysis suggests that girls manage to attain similar levels of independence from adults by travelling more in groups. This collective independence achieved through peers is often overlooked, and may compensate modern children to some extent for their loss of individual freedom.

Categories Influence Predictions About Individual Consistency

Predicting how people will behave in the future is a critical social-cognitive task. In four studies (N = 150, ages preschool to adult), young children (ages 4-5) used category information to guide their expectations about individual consistency. They predicted that psychological properties (preferences and fears) would remain consistent over time after hearing one example in which properties followed a category-linked distribution (e.g., children of different genders had different properties) but not when properties varied within a category (e.g., children of the same gender had different properties). The developmental course of these findings is examined. Results suggest the importance of considering how children's emerging theories of behavior and of social groups operate together to inform their expectations about the social world.

Mothers' self-reported emotional expression in Mainland Chinese, Chinese American and European American families

This study compared Mainland Chinese, Chinese American and European American mothers' self-reported emotional expression within the family. Mothers of 3-year-old European American ( n = 40), Chinese American (n = 39) and Mainland Chinese (n = 36) children (n = 20 girls per group) completed the Self-Expressiveness in the Family Questionnaire (SEFQ), a measure that includes 40 items describing the expression of positive and negative emotion (20 items each). Respondents indicate how frequently they engage in each expressive practice. Mothers also completed a questionnaire regarding family ecology variables. European American mothers reported significantly more positive emotional expression than Mainland Chinese mothers, although no significant differences were found for expression of negative emotion. While family ecology differed across groups, these variables were not related to the emotional expression scores. No child-gender differences were obtained. Results of this study confirm the presence of cultural differences in mothers' emotional expressivity.

Special thematic issue on game-based learning

A review of submissions to Educational Technology Research and Development in the last 2 years indicated that the topic receiving the most submissions was game-based learning. Not surprisingly, high interest in game-based learning has resulted in a backlog of accepted papers on this topic. The editors decided that it would make sense to readers to have a special thematic issue comprised of some of these papers. This issue contains seven of those papers. To facilitate your reading, we briefly describe these seven papers here. The first article in this series is by Gunter, Kenny and Vick. In this article Gunter and her colleagues argue that in the mad rush to create educational games many designers have ignored basic instructional principles. Their RETAIN (Relevance Embedding Translation Adaptation Immersion & Naturalization) model is aimed at correcting this deficiency. The second article by Fengfeng Ke addresses the application of computer games with regard to their cognitive, metacognitive and affective impact on learners and learning performance. The third article by Schrader and McCreery addresses the issue of acquiring sill and developing expertise through massively multiplayer games. The fourth article by Feldon and Kafai focuses on avatars in virtual worlds; they propose a mixed methods approach to analyzing avatar-related activities in order to make sense of what learners might be thinking and understanding. The article by Seung Yoon also focuses on a key research issue pertaining to the assessment of game-based activities—namely, how teams form and how groups develop in virtual environments. The article by Nelson and Erlandson focuses on the important design consideration of managing cognitive load in game-based learning environments. The last article in this thematic issue by Kinzie addresses the well-known but not so well-understood issue of gender differences in middle school children with regard to technology and games; her focus is also on the implications for the design of educational games.

Gender Analysis of Children’s Activities in Pakistan

This paper estimates gender differences in children’s time allocation among four ordered options. It analyses the sample of boys and girls separately through a series of probit models using primary data. We compare the socio-economic determinants of boys’ and girls’ activities. The results suggest that boys are more likely to go to school as compared to girls with the increase in their age. The provision of schooling as an instrument to decrease child labour and home-care would affect boys more than girls. To make the adults literate (five years of education) only is not enough to eliminate the gender gap in schooling; a greater number of years of adult education is necessary. The female adult education may be devised to eliminate gender discrimination in child schooling. In the larger households, girls drop out of school and are absorbed in the labour market earlier than boys. The results further suggested that the use of resources is significantly different for boys’ and girls’ welfare. Thus, we conclude that girls can be a better target for increase in the welfare of all children in Pakistan.

Depressive symptoms in Chinese children and adolescents: Parent, teacher, and self reports

Background Most studies of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents have been conducted in Western countries. This study was designed to examine depressive symptoms and age and gender differences in children and adolescents in China. Methods Participants consisted of two community samples of children and adolescents ( n1 = 4858, n2 = 1362) in Shandong, China. Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Teacher Report Form (TRF) and Youth Self Report (YSR) were used to assess depressive symptoms. Results Using American norms, the prevalence rates of depression in Chinese children and adolescents were 5.9% with self report, 0.9% with parent report, and 0.8% with teacher report. Self and teacher-reported depressive symptoms were significantly increased with age for both boys and girls. Compared with American norms, self-reported depressive scores were significantly higher in Chinese adolescents, while parent and teacher-reported scores were significantly lower in Chinese children. Limitations Our study lacks clinical assessment of depressive symptoms and the study is comprised of two separate samples where parent and teacher reports and youth reports could not be compared directly. Conclusions The prevalence of self-reported depressive symptoms in Chinese children and adolescents are much higher than those reported by either parents or teachers. Depressive symptoms are increased with age but do not differ between boys and girls.

The Paradox of Majority Underrepresentation in Special Education in India

In contrast to the phenomenon of minority overrepresentation in special education in developed countries such as the United States, a paradoxical situation occurs in many developing countries, whereby majority populations are underrepresented in the educational system. The author examines some of the prevailing and traditional societal and political-economic factors specific to India that contribute to this underrepresentation, such as a paucity of resources that affects children from low socioeconomic backgrounds, gender differences in child rearing and educational expectations that affect girls, and negative attitudes toward disability.

Gender differences in game activity preferences of middle school children: implications for educational game design

Educators and learning theorists suggest that play is one of the most important venues for learning, and games a useful educational tool. This study considers game activity preferences of middle school-aged children, so that educational games might be made more appealing to them. Based on children’s activity modes identified in our prior research, we developed the Educational Game Preferences Survey, which collects information on children’s preferences for play activity modes, their attitudes about each activity mode, and their preferences for game characters, settings, and forms of help. Survey results suggest the appeal of the Explorative mode of play for all children, especially girls. Gender differences in children’s preferences and attitudes for Active, Strategic, and Creative play modes were also found. We close with recommendations for game design to appeal to both boys and girls, as well as for boys and girls individually, to build engagement and hopefully lead to learning.

Precursors to the Gender Gap in College Enrollment: Children's Aspirations and Expectations for Their Futures

In light of the increasing gender gap in college enrollment, data from two waves of interviews with 115 elementary and middle school children were examined for developmental and gender differences in participants' aspirations and expectations for their futures. While there were no gender differences in children's educational aspirations or expectations, girls were more likely than boys to aspire to careers that require a college education, more likely to emphasize career advancement in their rationale for attending college, and less likely to choose sex-typed occupations. Implications for professional school counselors are discussed.