A Research On The Developmental Traits And Mechanism Of Schoolgirls' Gender Identity

This research examines the gender identity in the context of gender self system and peer interaction (same-sex interaction and opposite-sex interaction).It aims to make further systematic investigation of developing traits and mechanism of schoolgirls.In the comprehensive review, gender is a relational concept -as is negotiated within the field of deeply subjective personal meanings, yet in ways that relate the person with different "social others"-peers, parents, younger siblings, etc. It is a relational perspective from the stereotype as the masculine or feminine pressure and the personal meaning constructed by individual itself. A look at gender identity through the reflection by a person on her peer relations provides an opportunity to investigate the complex dynamics within the system of Dialogical Self and Psychological Membrane Theory. The dynamic systems approach which provides a general framework for researching processes can be applied to the issue of gender identity-- as is viewed here as an open process of the maintenance of the dynamic self. As an analytical concept, gender is in the process of becoming - into a man or a woman.Based on the perspective of interpersonal and social-cultural construction, the research then analyzed of the traits and mechanisms of the development in gender identity, which was from cases. These were 72 girls participated in this research, and they were from the 3^rd grade to the 12^th grade. This research examined schoolgirls' reflections upon their gender identity by group interviews. The data of the interviews were analyzed from intra-individual reference frame and inter-individual reference frame.From intra-individual reference frame, it described the developmental traits of all girls' gender identity as a whole and compared the trajectory of different grades. In the elaboration gender self system includes four parts: the self concept, the ideal self, the preferable self and the rejected self, which were classified four dimensions: appearance, disposition, interaction and ability and further classified eighteen indexes. The result indicates that the trajectory of girls' gender identity is from feminization to androgyny, from semblance to connotation, from concrete to abstract, from external to intrinsic, from individuation to interpersonal. The girls in 3^rd-5^th payed more attention to gender stereotype, the girls in 6^th-9^th were adjusted by context and interpersonal and the girls in 10^th-12^th internalized the personal meanings to be evaluation criterion. The translations of four dimensions were in 6^th, 7^th and 9^th .grade. They may be the translation stages in the trajectory of girls' gender identity.From inter-individual reference frame, we can know how do gender self system and peer interaction focus on one girl, how to promote the development of a girl's gender identity. Based on the intra-individual reference frame and the date of interview, there existed five relationships in the development of girls' gender identity: the relationship between self concept and developmental orientation; the relationship among developmental orientation; the relationship between same-sex interaction and opposite-sex interaction; the relationship between developmental orientation and same-sex interaction; the relationship between developmental orientation and opposite-sex interaction. Just upon the inter-individual relation model was built on them. This part of research, twenty cases which represented twenty types were analyzed. From the change between gender self system and peer relation, there were five stages in the trajectory of girls' gender identity: 1.) Gender stereotype and rules, developmental orientation dissevered from the peer relation 2.) Developmental orientation was towards to the superior girl;3.) Selective stages emerged which were from peer,4.) From feminization to androgyny, sensitive to opposite-sex interaction; 5.) Interactive powder between same-sex interaction and gender self system more than it between opposite-sex interaction and gender self system. The interactive relationships in 4^th, 6^th , 9^th grades were more obvious. It proved that they were the translation stages. The results revealed the ways in which peer relations are the resource that is used to maintain gender identity and feed into meaning construction to guide the future of the self. In general discussion section, the gender identity is based on the construction of meaningfulness of the interpersonal relations with others. Meaning construction makes it possible for the individual to create differences between the boundaries which as the tension to guide the future- orientation.The concurrently present meanings are setting the stages for negotiation of the boundaries of meanings in the future. The meaning construction is not equal with the personal meanings construction. Hence the different models of gender identity emerge, and the different dialogue modes, different meanings are with them. As an epistemological and ontological standpoint, the dialogic approach is meant to elaborate a more radical and relational perspective about human life and human being. As the principle of relation, and a human life is always a relational life. From above, however, the triangular model was a slice of the gender identity process and the glance of the holistic trajectory,In the end, the insufficiency was reflected. Further research and some suggestions for education were also discussed.