Gender issues in the classroom will be the focus of this year’s International Women’s Day lunch at Central Queensland University this Friday (7 March).

Visiting Professor from the United States, Professor Janice Koch will give an insight into gender issues that are affecting the American and Australian classroom.

“My research into today’s classroom suggests that males and females are often disadvantaged in different ways,” Professor Koch said.

“It is apparent that students sitting in the same classroom with the same curriculum of study and the same teacher receive different treatment based on gender.

“Teachers often have different expectations of girls and boys based on cultural context and societal norms.

Professor Koch said classroom gender issues are partly responsible for fewer females in computer science and natural sciences – fields where cutting edge jobs are available at high salaries.

A professor of science education and gender studies at Hofstra University, a private university located on Long Island, Prof Koch is spending three months lecturing in Science Curriculum and Pedagogy at CQU in the Faculty of Education & Creative Arts.

She is the author and editor of several books addressing gender issues in the pre-college classroom and beyond. Her most recent work on gender appears in the Handbook of Psychology.

Prof Koch is the author of the elementary science education textbook titled Science Stories: A Science Methods Book for Elementary School Teachers. She speaks widely on women and science and has studied the lives and work of historical women scientists extensively.

Prof Koch has completed a Bachelor of Biology, a Masters degree in Interdisciplinary Studies where she explored women, science and education, and a Doctorate in Science Education.