Girls Do Sport: mainstreaming the space of transformative educational contexts in Scotland

The Girls Do Sport (GDS) project was a small scale yet innovative pedagogical approach to journalism learning and teaching recognising the need for students to engage in professional practice in a dynamic, real-life setting. This was intended to prepare them for a career in the media while offering the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussion around gender representation. Larrondo and Rivero (2016) suggest ‘gender mainstreaming’ into journalism education is essential in recognising women’s role in the media and responding to concerns over inequality. The GDS project aimed to go beyond this by engaging with male sports journalism students about how they view women’s sport. We believe in the transformative power of active learning and treating our students as individuals – partners and potential leaders in their fields and professions – and GDS allowed students to grow in ability and confidence. It provided students with industry- relevant skills and facilitated a ‘gender mainstreaming’ ethos for students and teaching colleagues to challenge, enhance and develop their own professional practice and skills in this regard.