Jürgen Budde, Nina Blasse 
(Europa-Universität Flensburg, Institut für Erziehungswissenschaften, Germany)

 

Abstract: The dimensions of gender play an important part in disciplinary cultures. Studies have shown that the doubts and reservations girls have about STEM subjects can be explained by the explicitly male coded disciplinary culture rather than by a lack of knowledge or competence on behalf of the girls. On the other hand, the male coding makes the STEM subjects more accessible for boys. The stipulated transformation of the disciplinary cultures in mathematics and natural sciences aiming to open up STEM as a field of interest and occupation for girls takes effect not only by showing up career paths. Rather, a transformation of the underlying cultural codes is intended. This points to the fact that gender acts as a “deep structure”. In order to bring out and reflect upon these structures within disciplines, teachers need firm gender competence. How this can be organized and communicated as part of the professionalization process is up to debate. Dramatizing gender issues by explicitly addressing the topic in the education of teachers stands against a less dramatic approach that includes gender into the process of imparting subject knowledge. Based on empiric examples gathered from qualitative studies, the respective strategies’ risks will be juxtaposed. In order to address the gender encoding of different disciplinary cultures rather than the gendering of actors, the authors opt for a circle-model that includes dramatizing as well as dramatizing approaches.

 

Key words: gender competence, STEM, education of teachers