why boys do worse

Question 1

Mac an Ghail

Answer 1

• w/c boys face a crisis of masculinity.
• the decline in manufacture industries raised long term unemployment.

Question 2

changes in job market

Answer 2

• today, economy increasingly offers unsuitable roles for w/c males :- they have less ambition and drive
• :- may feel that qualifications are a waste of time and see limited opportunities

Question 3

laddish behaviour

Answer 3

• anti-school subcultures amongst w/c boys
• WILLIS - learning to labour study
• these boys see failure as inevitable so don’t create anti school coping strategies (fatalistic attitude)

Question 4

Mitos and Brown - 1998 (social control)

Answer 4

• teachers expect different things from boys and girls.
• teachers would expect boys to submit late, rushed, untidy work or expect behaviour to be disruptive.
• relates to labelling and SFP

Question 5

unrealistic attitudes

Answer 5

• overconfidence
• put their failure down to luck rather than effort

Question 6

Francis - 2000

Answer 6

• boys rarely consider themselves more able than girls
• boys subscribe to career ambitions which are unrealistic and less academic

Question 7

Barber

Answer 7

• more boys than girls think they are above average and less boys than girls feel they are below average academically

Question 8

Forde et al (masculinity)

Answer 8

• hegemonic masculinity is to blame dominant attitudes which lead to boys wanting status and ‘street cred’ by developing anti-school subcultures

Question 9

Epstein et al

Answer 9

• claimed boys who worked hard are often labelled as ‘gay’ by peers

Question 10

boys don’t like to read

Answer 10

• boys see reading as a feminine activity
• reading is feminised
• research suggests that boys stop being interested in reading at 8
• girls read more fiction, boys read more information

Question 11

criticisms

Answer 11

• concern over boys achievement might simply bed ‘ moral panic’ : there is some concern over a growth in underclass who can potentially be deviant (WEINER)
• class has 5x more effect on educational achievement
• ethnicity has 2x the effect (GILLBORN AND MIRZA)
• massive gov drive and focus on boys has neglected girls underachievement and ignored class/ethnicity as factors