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DOCUMENT RESUME CE 066 992 ED 374 208 AUTHOR Bartlett, Caiol Seeing: Gender and Literacy. TITLE PUB DATE 94 NOTE 3p. Journal Articles (080) PUB TYPE Text Quarterly; v7 n1 p1,4 Win-Spr 1994 JOURNAL CIT EDRS PRICE MFO1 /PCO1 Plus Postage. *Academic Achievement; *Academic Persistence; Adult DESCRIPTORS Basic Education; *Adult Literacy; *Behavior Patterns; Cognitive Style; *Literacy Education; *Sex Differences; Student Motivation ABSTRACT Observations are offered regarding differences between the academic persistence, academic achievement, and general learning behaviors of male and female students in job skills classes for physical plant and security employees at a state university. Greater numbers of women tended to enroll in and continue attending classes. The men tended to enroll for a specific purpose, such as gaining the literacy skills needed to obtain a driver's license or learning enough math to take the General Educational Development tests. The women attending classes were more likely to be motivated by a desire to keep on learning or to help their children and grandchildren. The men were more likely to follow directions and stick to one task until they master it, whereas the women were more likely to dabble (in other words, work on one task for a while and then pick up something else to work on for a while). Although the women did not fit into a school model of mastery and testing, they kept attending class and did make progress. The Bible proved to be a powerful book for both the men and women, and members of both sexes read Bible stories in class. (MN) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** Tex Winter-Spring 1994 Vol. 7, No. 1 U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION M,cewEe.twio,wrie,e,u0a.01,,nruserivfl IONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION EDUC CENTER IERICI is document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization Quarterly originating it Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy Center for the Study of Adult Literacy SEEING: GENDER and LITERACY Let me begin with a story. Two example, wanting a driver's license custodians wear blue shirts, a public women, who work night shift for the notice that wearer the a but not being able to read. Most did is not stay long enough to get the physical plant, clean bathrooms in custodian. The uniforms underplay one of the buildings on campus. license or learn enough driver's gender differences, Everyone wears They say that men working late will math to take the GED. pants, sturdy shoes and a blue shirt. and urinate while the come in Custodians do domestic work. They Almost all of the men and women clean, mop, sweep, take out the women are cleaning the men's room who have stayed are middle-aged with grown children and grand- and will never notice them, or, never trash, and move the furniture. It is take notice of them. The door is work traditionally done by women. children. There is one young man propped open with their bucket. It is Everyone dresses like a man, but in the class who came to work on clear they are there. At first they He works does a woman's work. his GED. alone, said they were horrified and a bit In both classes we began with socializing with neither the men nor frightened; then they realized the more women than men. We did no the women, men didn't "see" them. I might add One year into the program a testing, but it was clear that some of that these two women "see" the the participants were barely literate barely literate man came to each while others had some college or men. class and stayed. One of the men This is a story about seeing, about The men who technical school. spends one day a week reading the about and gender, and men's were barely literate left fairly soon. Bible and one day a week reading When I began women's spaces. The women who were barely literate job-related material. The other man working with a in program In both the night class and stayed. works on spelling and handwriting. employees in the physical plant at the afternoon class, we went from a I have heard stories about a number Georgia State, there were many few men to no men. of illiterate men who work in the things I didn't see, only one of them After a year, in both classes, men physical plant. They have not come being the need for men's spaces started coming again--new men. to the class. and women's spaces. They came to get driver's licenses, The man who is the leader i; i the The program for custodial staff to get the GED, to learn computers; afternoon who class, greets began with night-shift employees in the general goal was to get a better everyone and is clearly in charge, A number of men passed the winter of 1992 and with day-shift job. arrived a year after the class began. through the employees in the summer of 1992. They were class. He was told by supervision that if he All physical plant employees wear focused on learning something quite didn't come and work on his GED, uniforms; shirt color designates the specific, often not the having (I.. type of work they perform. The background to learn that thing; for continued on page 4 "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE Th MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY D 0 2 BEST COPY AVAILABLE TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." Seeing: Gender & Literacy, continued from page 1 parts of the GED; one woman began writing He distanced he would not be promoted. in poetry and had two of her poems published himself immediately from the women and now the campus newspaper; one woman moved out in works in a separate room. The other men her of public housing; one woman is writing that class sit with him. There is now a women's autobiography; several women now have reading mixed room with two room, a men's room, and a glasses. themselves. or three people who work by Their general goals are to keep on learning or talk The men in the men's room read and then will say to help children and grandchildren. They about the material they are reading. They are old to me over and over again, "You're never too GED reading the social studies section of the to keep on learning." Their and the newspaper, News for You. For both the men and women, the Bible is a political current are about conversations A Bible and books of Bible powerful book. situations and the workings of government. The stories are in the room. Generally, for both men closest I have heard the women in the women's the and women, the lower the reading ability, is when they work room ever talk about content, greater the desire to read the Bible. The man together on a crossword puzzle and talk about it's who reads the Bible in class has shown that words. possible to read the Bible in school and now The men will follow directions and go where I several of the women are also reading Bible thing suggest. They will generally stick to one stories. I get If The women dabble. until they get it. but I see more now than I did two years ago, pushy. they will disappear for a few weeks or in the it is still quite possible that I, like the men work just stop and pick up something else and who are campus building, am not seeing women reading, a little on it for a while. They do a little cleaning the men's room. One woman in the writing, a little math. They keep coming. They night class said, "We're all learning, aren't we, don't fit into a school model of mastery and Carol?" She was definitely including me in the However, they stay and they make testing. One woman wrote notes to her "we." progress. workers for the first time; two women have taken By Carol Bartlett Carol Bartlett is a training specialist at Georgia State University. She teaches job skills classes the to physical plant and security employees at University. It is becoming clear that there .:;"This issue of TEXT focuses on women's literacy issues. noteven:being :,Addressed,:much.lass answered. !,;:are many unanswered questigns,tat: are on eiprior:Page Will !Confer On*On:WOMen:And:IVitei.A*ArinouriCA: international First deStiO.ri:ifegarding women and liteiACy* a flrurn:lo eha e:the' 0i-440y:4 Georgia State university for More ::Contact theCenter for the $41.0stiptAOult and practitioners, the group of researchers, :policyrriAlOri,' ::to; be A :part 'Of are due connections About women's literacies.:PAperabstracts :voicing questions and making oVemberl 3 BEST COPY AVAILABLE