Boys and Achievement

Question 1

How does literacy affect boys’ achievement?

Answer 1

• Boys are argues to have lower literacy levels due to fathers doing less reading, so it is seen as a feminine activity. Their leisure pursuits, e.g. football, don’t develop their language skills contrasting girls’ ‘bedroom culture’.This affects their performance in subjects
• Government has introduced many polices (limited?) e.g. Reading Champions scheme uses male role models expressing their interests reading. Modern example of rise in graphic novels has led to more reading catered to boys. National Literacy Trusts notes only 1 in 4 boys read outside of class everyday in primary

Question 2

How has globalisation affected boys’ achievement?

Answer 2

• Since the 1980s, there’s been decline in heavy industries due to globalisation of the economy, e.g. mining, which are traditionally run by men. Mitsos and Browne claim decline in male employment has led to ‘identity crisis’. Boys now have little prospects in getting a proper job which undermines their motivation to get qualifications.
• However, manual jobs require few if any qualifications, so it’s unlikely their decline has had much impact on boys’ motivation

Question 3

How has the feminisation of education affected boys’ achievement?

Answer 3

Sewell argues schools don’t nurture ‘masculine’ traits, e.g competitiveness, while they celebrate qualities linked to girls, attentiveness.

Question 4

How does the shortage of male primary school teachers affect boys’ achievement?

Answer 4

• Only 14% of primary teachers are male and 39% of 8-11 year old boys have no lessons with a male teacher. 42% of boys said they would behave better and work harder with a male teacher.
• Some argue this is due to the feminisation of teaching. In this view, male teachers are better at imposing stricter rules.
• Read (2008) identifies two types of discourse disciplinarian (authority is explicit and visible - masculine) and liberal discourse (authority is implicit and invisible - feminised). Shee is critical of the claim that disciplinarian discourse is needed for boys. Most female teachers use this type discourse.
• Francis (2006) found two-thirds of 7-8 year olds thought gender of teachers don’t matter

Question 5

How does laddish subculture affect boys’ achievement?

Answer 5

• Epstein (1998) studied the way masculinity is found in schools. She found WC boys are more likely to be harassed and subjected to homophobic verbal abuse if they appear as ‘swots’.
• Francis (2001) found boys were more concerned with labels by peers than girls as it is more of a threat to their masculinity than girls’ femininity. She argues laddish is becoming more widespread due to girls moving to masculine areas so boys become more laddish to assert themselves as non-feminine
• In WC culture, non-manual work, schoolwork, is seen as inferior. So WC boys reject schoolwork to avoid labels

Question 6

Describe the impact of gender on achievement compared to class and ethnicity

Answer 6

• McVeigh (2001) notes similarities in gender are greater than the differences with class of ethnicity
• At GCSE, the gender gap within classes is rarely greater than 12% compared to the difference between high and lower class girls can be as much as 44%
• Fuller’s study on successful black girl and Sewell’s findings that black boys oppose educations due to their masculinity

Question 7

Give evaluation for boys and achievement (polices promote girls’? + Ringrose)

Answer 7

• Critics of feminism argue polices that promote girls’ education are no longer needed. They believe girls have succeeded at the expense of boys, who are the new disadvantaged.
• Feminists like Ringrose argue these view contribute to the moral panic of ‘failing boys’, reflects a fear that WC boys will become a dangerous, unemployable underclass that threatens social stability. She suggests this moral panic has caused a shift in educational policy, by just focusing on ‘failing boys’ it ignores disadvantaged WC and ethnic minority pupils and by narrowing gender policy down to achievement gaps it ignores issues like sexual harassments and bullying, self-esteem etc.

Question 8

Give evaluation for boys and achievement (Osler)

Answer 8

• Osler notes the focus of underachieving boys has led to a neglect in girls as boys’ have more public displays of disengagement (‘laddish’ masculinity), compared to girls, that attract attention. Osler points out that mentoring scheme aimed to reduce black boys exclusions ignores the exclusion of girls that is increasing.
• Excluded girls are also less likely to obtain places in pupil referral units.
• Official exclusion rates also mask a wider, hidden problem of exclusion among girls, including self-exclusion and internal exclusion