Boys and Educational Achievement Flashcards
What did the DCSF say was the main reason for educational difference between the 2 genders?
Boys poorer literacy and language skills.
Why don’t boys like reading?
- Feminised –> a ‘waste of time’ thus avoided.
- Girls not just main consumers but are the ones more likely to read to their children. Not a same sex role model for boys?
What types of texts do boys and girls prefer to read?
Girls - fiction.
Boys- info.
What did Oakhill + Petrides (2007) say about gender and reading?
- Boys interest in the content depended on their ability to understand a text; girls not the case.
Name some policies introduced to try and improve boy’s literacy skills?
1) ‘Playing for Success’ - using sports to boost learning skills.
2) ‘National Literacy Strategy’ - improving boy’s literacy.
3) ‘Reading Champions Scheme’ - male role models.
How has globalisation effected boy’s educational achievement?
- Decline of traditional men’s jobs such as iron and steel.
= lack motivation and ambition due to limited prospects.
Relating to globalisation, what did Mitsos + Browne say was the consequence of it?
- Men feel a masculinity/identity crisis as they are not the breadwinner anymore, or can’t be.
- To express masculinity in other ways; boys become anti-school, macho and draw unwanted attention to themselves.
How is education feminised?
- Schools do not nurture ‘masculine’ traits such as competitiveness and leadership.
= prefer methodological working and attentiveness which is typical of girls.
How does a shortage of male primary school teachers effect male educational achievement?
- Lack of male role models at home and school.
- Believe success is feminine as such.
- Some females may be unable to control boy’s behaviour.
=imposing discipline –> concentration. - Read - found that most teachers used the ‘masculine’ approach to discipline.
What % of primary school teachers are male?
16%
What did Yougov (2007) find?
39% of 8-11 year old’s have no lessons with a male teacher.
How does Francis (2006) contradict the importance of male primary teachers?
- 2/3 of 7/8 year old’s believed gender didn’t matter.
How do teachers influence boys achievement?
- They have lower expectations of them; willing to extend deadlines, be more tolerant of disruption.
= SFP.
What did Forde et al. (2006) find with masculinity and anti-learning subcultures?
- Peer group pressure encourages maintenance of a masculinity identity; = resisting school which is incompatible with academic success.
- Gain status by doing things that oppose school culture.
What did Epstein (1998) find with masculinity and anti-learning subcultures?
- W/C boys likely to be harassed, labelled as ‘sissies’ and are subject to homophobic verbal abuse if they appear to be hard-working.
= Academic success in conflict with idea of masculinity.
= Boys concerned more with labels so are more willing to prove otherwise.
How much wider is the class gap than the gender gap at GCSE?
3x
In which ethnicity is gender gap the greatest?
Black-Caribbean pupils.
