Boys Girls And Achievement

Girls are now out-performing boys at GCSE level, giving rise to a debate in the media on boys' underachievement. However, often such work has been a 'knee-jerk' response, led by media, not based on solid research. Boys, Girls and Achievement - Addressing the Classroom Issues fills that gap and: *provides a critical overview of the current debate on achievement; *Focuses on interviews with young people and classroom observations to examine how boys and girls see themselves as learners; *analyses the strategies teachers can use to improve the educational achievements of both boys and girls. Becky Francis provides teachers with a thorough analysis of the various ways in which secondary school pupils construct their gender identities in the classroom. The book also discusses methods teachers might use challenge these gender constructions in the classroom and thereby address the 'gender-gap' in achievement.

on behalf of the Centre for Research & Education on Gender, Institute of Education, University of London. Failing Boys? Issues in Gender & Achievement challenges the widespread perception that all boys are underachieving at school. It raises the more important & critical questions of which boys? At what stage of education? And according to what criteria? The issues surrounding boys' 'underachievement' have been at the centre of public debate about education & the raising of standards in recent years. Media & political responses to the 'problem of boys' have tended to be simplistic, partial, & owe more to 'quick fixes' than investigation & research. Failing Boys? provides a detailed & nuanced 'case study' of the issues in the UK, which will be of international relevance for the moral panic is a globalised one, taking place in diverse countries. The contributors to this book take seriously the issues of boys' 'underachievement' inside & outside school from a critical perspective which draws on the insights of previous feminist studies of education to illuminate the problems associated with the education of boys. This will be a key text for educators, policy makers, students & teachers of education, sociology, gender studies & cultural studies & others interested in gender & achievement. Contents: Part one: Boys' underachievement in context - Schoolboy frictions: feminism & failing boys - "A habit of healthy idleness": boys' underachievement in historical perspective - Part two: Different constructions of the debate & its under-currents - Girls will be girls & boys will be first - 'Zero tolerance', gender performance & school failure - Breaking out of the binary trap: boys' underachievement, schooling & gender relations - Real boys don't work: masculinities, 'underachievement' & the harassment of sissies - Part three: Boys, which boys? - Loose canons: exploding the myth of the 'black macho' lad - Boys underachievement, special needs practices & equity - Curriculum, assessment & the debate - Language & gender: who, if anyone, is disadvantaged by what? - Gendered learning outside & inside school: influences on achievement - Index.

This new and topical book, written by editors of the international journal Gender and Education and aimed at educational professionals, draws together the findings and arguments from the wealth of material available on gender and achievement.

This text draws together the findings and arguments from the vast array of material available on this topic, in order to provide a comprehensive and clear overview of the various debates about, and explanations for gender and achievement.

There is a significant problem in our schools: too many boys are struggling. The list of things to concern teachers is long. Disappointing academic results, a lack of interest in studying, higher exclusion rates, increasing mental health issues, sexist attitudes, an inability to express emotions.... Traditional ideas about masculinity are having a negative impact, not only on males, but females too. In this ground-breaking book, Matt Pinkett and Mark Roberts argue that schools must rethink their efforts to get boys back on track. Boys Don’t Try? examines the research around key topics such as anxiety and achievement, behaviour and bullying, schoolwork and self-esteem. It encourages the reader to reflect on how they define masculinity and consider what we want for boys in our schools. Offering practical quick wins, as well as long-term strategies to help boys become happier and achieve greater academic success, the book: offers ways to avoid problematic behaviour by boys and tips to help teachers address poor behaviour when it happens highlights key areas of pastoral care that need to be recognised by schools exposes how popular approaches to "engaging" boys are actually misguided and damaging details how issues like disadvantage, relationships, violence, peer pressure, and pornography affect boys’ perceptions of masculinity and how teachers can challenge these. With an easy-to-navigate three-part structure for each chapter, setting out the stories, key research, and practical solutions, this is essential reading for all classroom teachers and school leaders who are keen to ensure male students enjoy the same success as girls.

Failing Boys? Issues in Gender and Achievement challenges the widespread perception that all boys are underachieving at school. It raises the more important and critical questions of which boys? At what stage of education? And according to what criteria? The issues surrounding boys' 'underachievement' have been at the centre of public debate about education and the raising of standards in recent years. Media and political responses to the 'problem of boys' have tended to be simplistic, partial, and owe more to 'quick fixes' than investigation and research. Failing Boys? provides a detailed and nuanced 'case study' of the issues in the UK, which will be of international relevance as the moral panic is a globalised one, taking place in diverse countries. The contributors to this book take seriously the issues of boys' 'underachievement' inside and outside school from a critical perspective which draws on the insights of previous feminist studies of education to illuminate the problems associated with the education of boys. This will be a key text for educators, policy makers, students and teachers of education, sociology, gender studies and cultural studies and others interested in gender and achievement.

In academic achievement nature and nurture play a combined role. Nature implies certain innate or inherited factors such as intelligence, potentiality and personality while nurture contributing such things as may be found in homes, school, neighbourhood and the wider society. To ascertain the relative importance of nature and nurture is an arduos task. It endeavours to pinpoint such important factors as would give the reader a better understanding and insight into school success and failure.

"Boys’ achievement has attracted great attention in recent years in many countries. This comprehensive book based on sound research in schools provides practical insights into how the achievement of boysand girls can be raised. It reminds us that it is not all boys or no girlswho underachieve. It demonstrates the respective roles of teaching andlearning, school culture and social factors. No easy answers butexcellent ideas backed by evidence from authoritative, thoroughresearchers with a firm basis in schools." Judy Sebba, Professor of Education, University of Sussex "Teachers will find this book invaluable. It is based on quality researchwhich actually evaluates the impact of the various strategies suggestedfor raising boys' achievement. What is more, in contrast to many of themore 'quick-fix' works in this field, the authors’ discussion and analysisis measured and nuanced, and supported by an in-depth understandingof the wealth of theory and research around gender and achievement.It provides a welcome and weighty contribution to an evercontroversial debate." Becky Francis, London Metropolitan University In this important book, the authors evaluate different approaches and advocate practical, evidence-based strategies, which have the potential to promote boys’ as well as girls’ achievements. The approaches are discussed within the context of inclusivity, acknowledging the diverse needs and interests of different boys and the invisibility and continuing disadvantage of some girls. The book begins and ends with reflections from students of their own school experiences, and makes practical recommendations for the future. This book draws upon empirical research and work initiated as part of the DfES project on Raising Boys’ Achievement. It brings together theoretical and practical issues, and reflects upon the construction of the debate about boys’ apparent under-achievement from the perspectives of girls as well as boys. The authors critically explore notions of under-achievement and ‘value added’, and consider how useful the concept of the ‘gender gap’ is in advancing the debates. Raising Boys’ Achievement in Secondary Schools is key reading for undergraduate and postgraduate Education students, PGCE students, headteachers, senior managers within schools and local education authorities, and policy makers.