boys and achievement

Question 1

why are people concerned about boys falling behind in education?

Answer 1

• gender gap has led to concern over boys’ underachievement
• causes include:
  
  • external factors:
    
    • poorer literacy skills
    • decline of traditional men’s jobs
  • internal factors:
    
    • feminisation of education
    • shortage of male primary teachers
    • ‘laddish’ subcultures

Question 2

boys and literacy

Answer 2

• dcsf (2007): gender gap mainly due to boys’ poorer literacy and language skills
• reasons include:
  
  • parents spend less time reading to sons
  • reading seen as feminine (usually done by mothers)
  • leisure activities like football don’t build language skills
  • girls have ‘bedroom culture’ – talking with friends builds communication
• poor literacy affects performance across subjects
• led to government policies to improve boys’ skills

Question 3

globalisation and the decline of traditional men’s jobs

Answer 3

• since 1980s: decline in heavy industries like steel, mining, shipbuilding
• caused by globalisation – jobs moved to developing countries for cheap labour
• these jobs mainly employed men
• mitos and browne: decline led to ‘identity crisis’ for men
• boys feel low job prospects → lose motivation and self-esteem
• may give up on trying to gain qualifications
• however, most lost jobs were manual wc roles needing few qualifications
• so impact on educational motivation may be limited

Question 4

feminisation of education

Answer 4

• sewell says education is ‘feminised’ (bbc, 2006)
• schools don’t support ‘masculine’ traits like competitiveness and leadership
• instead, they favour methodical working and attentiveness (seen as feminine)
• sees coursework as key reason for gender gap
• suggests more final exams and outdoor adventure in curriculum
• quote: “we have thrown the boy out with the bath water”

Question 5

shortage of male primary school teachers

Answer 5

• many boys raised in female-headed lone parent families (1.5 million in uk)
• only 14% of primary school teachers are male
• yougov (2007):
  
  • 39% of boys aged 8–11 have no male teachers
  • most boys say male teachers improve behaviour
  • 42% say they work harder with a male teacher
• some argue primary school is feminised due to mostly female staff
• female teachers seen as less able to control boys’ behaviour
• view suggests schools need more male teachers to support boys’ focus and discipline

Question 6

are more male teachers really needed?

Answer 6

• becky francis (2006): two-thirds of 7-8 year olds say teacher’s gender doesn’t matter
• barbara read (2008): critiques idea that only male teachers can control boys’ behaviour
• read studied teachers’ use of language:
  
  • disciplinarian discourse: explicit authority, e.g. shouting, sarcasm
  • liberal discourse: implicit authority, more child-centred
• disciplinarian discourse associated with masculinity, liberal with femininity
• however, in her study of 51 teachers, most used ‘masculine’ disciplinarian discourse (both male and female teachers)
• conclusions:
  1) disproves that primary schools are feminised (most teachers use masculine discourse)
  2) disproves only male teachers can provide stricter classroom culture
• malcolm haase (2008): primary schools are male-dominated, even with more female teachers
• jones: headship: male teachers have a better chance (1 in 4) vs. female teachers (1 in 13)

Question 7

how do ‘laddish’ subcultures affect boys’ achievement?

Answer 7

• debbie epstein (1998): examined how masculinity is constructed in school
• found that working-class boys are harassed and labelled as ‘sissies’
• subjected to homophobic verbal abuse if they appear as ‘swots’
• this contributes to boys’ underachievement by discouraging academic success

Question 8

how does ‘laddish’ culture affect working-class boys’ achievement? (Francis and Epstein)

Answer 8

• francis (2001): boys more concerned than girls about being labelled a ‘swot’
• label of ‘swot’ is a greater threat to boys’ masculinity than to girls’ femininity
• in wc culture, masculinity linked with being tough and doing manual work
• non-manual work (e.g. schoolwork) seen as effeminate and inferior
• working-class boys reject schoolwork to avoid being labelled ‘gay’
• epstein (similar to Mac an Ghaill + Willis study): “real boys don’t work” – they get bullied if they do
• boys expected to be competitive, focus on sports and heterosexuality
• laddish culture becoming more widespread as boys try to avoid femininity

Question 9

what do feminists say about the focus on boys’ underachievement? (moral panics about boys)

Answer 9

• critics of feminism claim girls no longer need support – speak of ‘girl power’ and girls ‘having it all’
• believe girls succeed at boys’ expense – boys are now the disadvantaged
• jessica ringrose (2013): this view creates a moral panic about ‘failing boys’
• fear: underachieving wc boys will become a dangerous underclass
• moral panic led to a policy shift focused on raising boys’ achievement
• ringrose says this has two negative effects:
  1) ignores disadvantaged wc and ethnic minority pupils
  2) ignores other problems girls face like:
  - sexual harassment
  - bullying
  - self-esteem and identity issues
  - subject stereotypes
• audrey osler: focus on boys = neglect of girls
  
  • girls often disengage quietly, boys show ‘laddish’ behaviour
• example: mentoring for black boys ignores rising exclusions among girls
• girls excluded are less likely to access pupil referral units
• official data hides self-exclusion (truancy) and internal exclusion (removal from class)

Question 10

is gender the main factor in educational achievement?

Answer 10

• boys are not a lost cause – both sexes have improved over time
• tracey mcveigh (2001): similarities between boys’ and girls’ achievement are greater than the differences
• class gap at gcse is three times wider than gender gap
• boys and girls from the same class achieve similar results (gap rarely over 12 points)
• girls from highest class can be 44 points ahead of girls from lowest class
• shows class is more important than gender in influencing achievement
• impact of gender varies by class and ethnicity
• black caribbean girls (fuller): succeed by linking femininity to education and independence
• black boys (sewell): some fail by seeing education as effeminate
• connolly (2006): some combinations of class, gender and ethnicity have more influence
  
  • e.g. being female boosts performance more for black caribbean pupils than for white pupils