Abstract:

More often, socio-cultural issues are ignored in teaching/learning situations though effective classroom activities are culturally related. One important aspect of these social issues is gender related perceptions in the Ghanaian society. It is believed in Ghana that a male is capable of doing more than a female in so many aspects of life. Some women have also accepted this perception and have consequently limited their capabilities to few areas of human endeavor. Although there is no scientific proof that points to this assumption, some Ghanaians believe that boys are more intelligent in school than their girl counterpart. It is against this background that this research was undertaken to find out the effects of these stereotype threats on the academic performance of the girl child in Apewosika community in Cape Coast. The descriptive survey design, in the form of the mixed method was used for the study. Structured focal group interviews were used to solicit information from respondents. The results showed that both boys and girls were aware of the stereotype threats. Also, these threats hindered the initiatives of the girl child. However, there were no significant stereotype threat effects on the academic performance of girls.

Keywords:

Stereotype threats, girl child education, culture, gender.