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Three Feminist Theories With Examples of Their Differing Approaches to Research

To the outsider, the feminist movement might appear as a relatively homogenous group of women moving in the same direction, to advance the same unified ideologies and goals. On closer observation this is not the case. There are a number of different theories within the feminist movement. This paper will examine three feminist theories and illustrate their variety, by demonstrate how they might each approach the same hypothetical research project in their own unique way.

Feminist Empiricism

Feminist empiricism is the belief that the scientific method is basically sound if it can be stripped of it’s experimenter bias. The scientific method, as it is currently practiced, is contaminated with years of build a shed cultural biases that must be overcome in order to achieve gender neutral research (Riger, 1992)

Feminist Standpoint Epistemologies

Feminist standpoint epistemologiest believe that the best way to rectify the results of the years of male dominated science is to adopt a uniquely female approach, because “… women’s cognitive processes and modes of research are different than men’s.” (Riger, 1992, pp 733). In contrast to the traditional male approach to science that emphasizes shed plans distance and objectivity from the subjects, the feminist standpoint epistemologiest approach would utilize a different set of criterion, designed to better reflect the women’s prospective. For example, establishing a dialogue between the experimenter and the subject, the experimenter being one of the participants, getting the subject’s input on the design of the project, and sharing the results with them (Gergen).

Postmodern Feminism

Postmodern feminists argue that language and knowledge are not neutral meet men. and objective but reflect the values of the dominant class that created them, and that they have served to subordinate women to men. They criticize the structure of society and its patriarchal dominant order and say knowledge is only valid for a particular gender, race, and class at a particular point in time, and that no one prospective can accurately represent reality (Tong, 1989).

The Hypothetical Research Project In one study (Rollins, 1996) it was found that women cheap sheds were treated differently than men in the classroom, with negative results for the women. But the study didn’t fully explore the effects of instructor gender. This research project is designed to determine if the gender of the teacher has any effect on the learning process for women.

The Feminist Empiricism Approach

This research project can be done on pre-existing data. It would simply be a matter of collecting, organizing and analyzing the relevant data. The data would be academic scores of male and female students in the same classroom, from high schools and colleges around the country. These classrooms would be selected to represent a cross section meet women of socioeconomic backgrounds. For each female teacher classroom included, a male teacher classroom at the same school, teaching the same discipline would be chosen. For example math, biology, English, history etc.

A good cross section of disciplines would be necessary to minimize the effects of traditional male/ female performance in each discipline. An adequate number of pairs of classrooms would average out any particular variation that occurred within each school.

The student’s scores would be analyzed to determine if any meet people statistical difference occurs between male and female student’s academic performance, within or between disciplines, based on relative teacher/ student gender. Any statistically significant results would be published in a leading Psychology Journal.