Boys Achievement Flashcards
Boys and literacy (external)
According to the Department for Children, Schools & Families (DCSF 2007), the gender gap is down to boys’ poorer literacy and language skills.
Reading is ‘feminised’ (bedroom culture)
Boys are encouraged to be ‘active’ , whereas girls are encouraged to be ‘passive’.
Decline in men’s jobs
Since the 80’s, there has been a decline in industries such as iron & steel, shipbuilding, mining, engineering etc.
Mitsos & Browne (1998): Claim this had led to a ‘crisis of masculinity’.
Sewell (2006) claims education has become ‘feminised’.
HOWEVER: The decline has mainly been in W/C jobs and this is unlikely to affect such boys’ motivation!
Shortage of male primary school teachers
YouGov (2007): 14% of primary school teachers are male.
YOUGOV poll (2007) tells us 39% of 8-11yr old boys have no male teachers.
Are more male teachers really needed
Francis (2006) found that 2/3 of 7-8yr olds believed the gender of teachers did not matter!
‘LADDISH’ SUBCULTURES(INTERNAL)
EPSTEIN (1998)
W/C boys are likely to be called ‘sissie’ or ‘swots’, as well as be subject to homophobic harassment if they are seen to do their work!
FRANCIS (2001)
Boys were more concerned about being labelled as it was a threat to their masculinity.
Willis (1977)- ‘Learning to Labour’- the ‘lads’ generated a counter-school subculture.
Boys: a moral panic
Critics of feminism have argued girls now “have it all”.
Ringrose (2013): This has created a moral panic about boys failing. It has created a policy shift. Focussing on boys has ignored class and ethnicity.
It ignores girls’ sexual harassment, bullying etc.
Osler (2006): The focus on boys has led to neglect of girls. We focus on mentoring boys to avoid exclusion and forget the girls! They often don’t get places in PRU’s!
Policies to raise achievement
The Raising Boys Achievement project: strategies involving single-sex teaching.
The National Literacy Strategy: to improve boys’ reading.
The Reading Champions Scheme: male role models sharing their own reading interests.
Playing for Success: Uses football and sports to boost motivation.
The Dads & Sons campaign: To encourage fathers to be more engaged in their sons’ education.
