BOYS UNDERACHIEVEMENT

Question 1

1. Boys and Literacy

Answer 1

a. Parents spend less time reading with their sons, or the mother does it which feminises the activity of reading, putting the boys off it
b. DCSF (2007); the gender gap in achievement is mainly as a result of boys poor literacy skills
c. Boys’ leisure pursuits, such as football, do little to encourage and develop language skills, whereas…
d. Girls have a ‘bedroom culture’ where they chat together, read magazines and text

Question 2

2. The Decline of Traditional Men’s Jobs

Answer 2

a. Since the 1980’s there’s been a big decline in industries such as manufacturing, mining and steel working because this industry has been outsourced to China
b. Mitsos and Browne (1998); crisis of masculinity
c. With no motivation to get qualifications due to the high chance of no job at the end, this gives low self-esteem and a self-fulfilling prophecy of purposelessness

Question 3

3. Feminisation of Education

Answer 3

a. Sewell (2006); schools don’t nurture ‘masculine traits’ such as competitiveness and leadership
b. Instead, schools focus on traits more closely associated with girls, such as attentiveness and methodical working

Question 4

4. Shortage of Male Primary School Teachers

Answer 4

a. Evidence; 1.5 million single-mother families in the UK
b. DFES (2007); only 16% of primary school teachers are male
c. YouGov (2007); 39% of 8-11 y/o boys have no lessons with male teachers
d. 42% of boys said that male teachers make them work harder and concentrate more

Question 5

5. Laddish Subcultures

Answer 5

a. Francia (2001); boys were more concerned than girls about being labelled as swots by peers
b. Epstein (1998); w/c boys are likely to be harassed and labelled as sissies, subjected to homophobic verbal abuse if they appear to be swots

Question 6

6. Moral Panic about Boys

Answer 6

a. By focussing on failing boys, it ignores working class and minority pupils
b. Ringrose (2013); there’s a view that girls ‘have it all’ and are taking men’s jobs
c. Osler (2006); the focus on underachieving boys has led to the neglect of girls

Question 7

Evaluation

Answer 7

a. The absence of a male teacher may not be such an important factor; 2/3 of 7-8 y/o believe the gender of a teacher doesn’t matter
b. It’s the type of language used that matters when disciplining a child, not the gender:
1. Disciplinarian- shouting and sarcasm
2. Liberal- kind, respectful, treats them like adults