Gender differences: Why do boys underachieve

Question 1

Mac an Ghill (1994)
EXTERNAL

Answer 1

qclaims “working class boys” attempt to deal with identity crisis by adopting a aggressive, macho “laddishness” attitude.
> they reject what they see as the middle class values and do not regard school work as “real work” and see hard workers as “geeks”.
> this leads to development of “anti-school subcultures” which leads to failure.
EVAL - reasonable in making sense of why working class boys may underachieve

Question 1

Boys’ leisure time
EXTERNAL

Answer 1

boy leisure time is very different from girls’ leisure time.
> boys play football and computer games which don’t help literacy development at all.
> girls have a “bedroom culture” where they spend alot of time indoors, socialising with friends which helps develop literacy skills.
EVAL - distinct lack of credible evidence to support this claim, boys who are into spot achieve well according to some studies.

Question 2

teacher attitudes and expectations
INTERNAL

Answer 2

research shows boys achievement is directly linked to teachers’ expectations of them.
> where “negative labelling” exists boys are less likely to achieve full potential
LOWER EXPECTATIONS OF BOYS IN CLASSROOM ARE SEEN IN FOLLOWING WAYS:
> a lower standard of work expected
> boys are called upon to answer questions less than girls
> boys are stereotyped as “uninterested in learning”
> boys work can often receive less targeted feedback
> poor behaviour can go unchallenged
EVAL - this argument doesn’t make it clear why changes in patterns of boys’ achievement have occurred over time - boys have steadily improved over time

Question 3

Laddish subcultures
Carolyn Jackson (2006) Lads and Ladettes in school
INTERNAL

Answer 3

study of year 9 pupils - interviewed 208 students across 8 schools and used 800 students with questionnaires across 6 schools
> found clear evidence that “masculinity” is not compatible with academic success.
> as boys want to be the “hegemonic” masculine person, they reject hard work as they want to be ‘cool’ or ‘hard’
> both middle class and working class boys did this which makes sense to why they lack effort in class - middle class boys had the resources to ‘catch up’ for exams however working class boys did not have this luxury meaning they did not succeed as much.
EVAL - with interviews the people answering may exaggerate or lie to hide something in fear of what the interviewer may think.