boys' underachievement Flashcards
Literacy
- parents spend less time reading to sons and it is mainly mothers who read to young children, leading to reading being viewed as feminine
- boys’ leisure activities e.g. sport, computer games don’t encourage language and communication skills, whereas girls’ bedroom culture does
Globalisation and the decline of traditional ‘men’s jobs’
since 1980s, globalisation has led to much manufacturing industry relocating to developing countries, leading to a decline in heavy industries e.g. mining in the UK. Some argue this result has led to a male ‘identity crisis’, with a loss of motivation and self-esteem. Many boys believe they have little prospect of getting jobs and so cease trying to get qualifications
Feminisation of schooling
Sewell: argues boys fall behind because education has become ‘feminised’ and schools no longer nurture ‘masculine’ traits e.g. competitiveness and leadership
- some argue assessment has been feminised by the intro of coursework
- lack of male primary school teachers (1 in 6 primary schools teachers are men, over 60% of 8-11 year old boys have no lessons with a male teacher)
Read (lack of male teachers)
criticises the claim that only male teachers can exert the firm discipline boys need. When studying language teachers use, disciplinarian discourse, where teacher’s authority is made explicit, is usually associated with masculinity. However, Read found female teachers also used this style, disproving claim that only male teachers can provide the stricter classroom culture boys are said to need
lack of male role models in the home
increase in the number of female-headed lone-parent families (around 1.5 million) means many boys grow up lacking a positive male role model who supports a family. These boys may thus be less likely to see the value of employment and qualifications
Laddish subcultures
studies show there is peer-pressure on boys to demonstrate their masculinity by being anti-school
- Francis: found boys were more concerned than girls about being labelled by peers as swots, because this threatens their masculine identity. WC culture sees non-manual work, including schoolwork, as effeminate and inferior
- Epstein: found pro-school wc boys were likely to be harassed, labelled as gay and subjected to verbal abuse
- as girls move into more traditional masculine areas e.g. paid work, boys become more laddish in an effort to identify themselves as non-feminine, leading to under-achievement
policies to raise boys’ achievement
they often use boys’ leisure interests and famous male role models, aiming to improve boys’ literacy skills and motivation to achieve
- Raising Boys Achievement project
- Reading Champions scheme
- Playing for Success
Ringrose (moral panic about boys)
argues that the moral panic about failing boys has led to neglect of problems faced by girls e.g. sexual harassment and stereotyped subject choices
