Subject Choice

Traditional Subject Choices:

• Boys: 

  • Politics, design technology, maths, science and business studies. 

• Neutral: 

  • English Literature, Biology, Psychology, Geography, History, and sometimes Mathematics 

• Girls: 

  • Arts, humanities and food technology 

Trends in Subject Choice at GCSE: 

• Girls are significantly more likely to choose subjects like Sociology, English Literature, and Psychology, which are considered more humanities-based. 

• Boys tend to opt for subjects like Maths, Physics, and Design Technology, considered more science and technology focused 

Trends in Subject Choice at A-Level: 

• Girls tend to choose more humanities-based subjects like English, Psychology, Sociology, and Art & Design,  

• Boys typically opt for science and technology subjects like Maths, Physics, Computing, and Business Studies 

Trends in Subject Choice: Vocational Education: 

• Vocational apprenticeships: 

  • Women: More likely to choose health and social care and education apprenticeships 

  • Men: More likely to choose construction, manufacturing, and transportation apprenticeships 

• Vocational courses: 

  • Women: More likely to choose courses in care and beauty work 

  • Men: More likely to choose courses in construction and manual trades 

• Vocational jobs: 

  • Women: More likely to pursue jobs in health and social care 

  • Men: More likely to pursue jobs in construction, manufacturing, and transportation 

Explanation for Trends in Subject Choice: 

• Gender: 

  • Gender Role Socialisation: 

    • The process by which children learn the behaviours, attitudes, and expectations associated with their gender 

  • Gendered Subject Image: 

    • The idea that some subjects are perceived as being for boys or girls. This can influence students' subject choices and career aspirations. 

  • Gendered Identities and Peer Group Pressures: 

    • How a person's perception of their own gender can be significantly influenced by the expectations and behaviours of their peer group, often leading individuals to conform to societal gender norms, potentially suppressing or altering their authentic gender identity, especially during adolescence when peer acceptance is crucial. 

  • Evaluation: 

    • Females are more likely to choose subjects in the arts and humanities, while boys tend to choose science and technology-related subjects. 

• Ethnicity: 

  • Ethnocentric Curriculum: 

    • Causing students from minority ethnic groups to feel alienated and undervalued, potentially leading them to avoid subjects where they feel the content does not represent their culture or experiences, often resulting in underachievement and limiting their academic options 

  • English as an Additional Language: 

    • This often leads them towards subjects perceived as requiring less English proficiency, like practical subjects or arts, due to potential language barriers and the perception that they may struggle in more academically demanding subjects requiring extensive reading and writing, potentially limiting their options and contributing to educational inequalities 

  • Evaluation: 

    • It is often intertwined with these elements, leading to complex patterns of subject selection across different ethnic groups; furthermore, relying solely on ethnicity can risk stereotyping and neglecting individual agency within communities. 

• Class: 

  • Material Factors: 

    • This can influence the subjects they choose to study, often leading to students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds selecting subjects with lower perceived costs or requiring less additional materials, potentially limiting their options compared to their wealthier peers 

  • Cultural Factors: 

    • Students from higher socioeconomic classes tend to choose more "academic" subjects like science and advanced mathematics, while those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds may gravitate towards vocational or practical subjects like technical studies or business courses; this is largely due to differences in cultural capital, parental expectations, and perceived career pathways associated with their social class. 

  • Labelling: 

    • It has been observed that students from certain ethnic minorities may be subjected to labelling as less capable or disruptive, leading to them being pushed away from subjects and ultimately limiting their academic options. 

  • Evaluation: 

    • The influence of social class on student's access to educational opportunities, parental expectations, cultural capital, subject perception, and the potential for bias in research methods, with a significant finding being that students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds tend to choose more "academic" subjects like science and advanced mathematics, while lower socioeconomic students may gravitate towards more "vocational" subjects like social care or media studies.