Boys, masculinity and literacy: The influence of notions of masculinity on educational outcomes
Keywords:
Downloads
Abstract
The homogenizing and binary categorization of boys and girls inpopular and political rhetoric continues in educational contexts. To explore differences in boys’ experience atschool a recent study examined the influence of disadvantage and relatednotions of masculinity on literacy outcomes.Specifically, this exploration included 297 surveys and 36 interviews withprimary aged students from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. While therewas an overall tendency for more girls than boys to indicate higher readingachievement, higher reading frequency and higher levels of reading enjoymentthese differences were not as significant as expected. While many boys wereindeed doing well in literacy and positioned reading positively within theirgendered identity, of concern were some expressions of masculinity that wereinterpreted as problematic for many boys in very personal and potent ways. For these boys, socioeconomic status wasoften associated with constraining experiences that interplayed with powerfulconstructions of masculinity that impacted upon literacy experiences andoutcomes. Continued growth in socialinequity in many Western societies, including the Mediterranean,makes understanding the influence of socioeconomic status on boys’ literacyexperiences significant for addressing social change and transforming notionsof masculinity to include positive constructions that young boys can aspire to,and value.Downloads
References
Adler, P., Kless, S., and Adler, P. (1992). Socialisation to gender roles: Popularity among elementary school boys and girls. Sociology of Education, 65(3), 65-87.
Google Scholar CrossrefAlloway, N., Freebody, P., Gilbert, P., and Muspratt, S. (2002). Boys, literacy and schooling. Canberra: Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training.
Google Scholar CrossrefAustralian Council for Educational Research. (2010). Challenges for Australian Education: Results for PISA 2009. Camberwell: ACER
Google Scholar CrossrefPress.
Google Scholar CrossrefBaker, L., & Wigfield, A. (1999). Dimensions ofchildren’s motivation
Google Scholar Crossreffor reading and their relations to reading activity and reading
Google Scholar Crossrefachievement. Reading Research Quarterly, 34(4), 452-477. Barton, D. (2007). Literacy: An introduction to the ecology ofwritten
Google Scholar Crossreflanguage (2nd ed.). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
Google Scholar CrossrefBunbury, R. (1995). Children’s choices: Reading at home and at school.
Google Scholar CrossrefGeelong: Deakin University Press.
Google Scholar CrossrefChopra, R. (Ed.). (2007). Reframing Masculinities: Narrating the
Google Scholar CrossrefSupportive Practices ofMen. New Delhi: Orient Longman Private. Collins, C., Kenway, J., and McLeod, J. (2000). Factors influencing the educational performance ofmales and females in school and their
Google Scholar Crossrefinitial destinations after leaving school. Canberra: DETYA. Connell, R. (2012). Masculinity Research and Global Change.
Google Scholar CrossrefMasculinities and Social Change, 1(1), 418. doi:
Google Scholar Crossref4471/MCS.2012.01
Google Scholar CrossrefConnell, R. W. (1996). Teaching the boys: New research on masculinity and gender strategies for schools. Teachers College Record, 98, 206-235.
Google Scholar CrossrefConnell, R. W. (1989). Cool guys, swots and wimps: The interplay of masculinity and education. Oxford Review ofEducation, 5(3), 291- 303.
Google Scholar CrossrefConnell, R. W. (2005). Change among the gatekeepers: Men, masculinities, and gender equity in the global arena. Signs: Journal ofWomen in Culture and Society, 30(3), 1801-1825.
Google Scholar CrossrefConnolly, P. (2004). Boys and schooling in the early years. London: Routledge Falmer.
Google Scholar CrossrefConnolly, P. (2006). The effects of social class and ethnicity on gender differences in GCSE attainment: A secondary analysis of the youth cohort study of England and Wales 1 997-2001 . British Educational Research Journal, 32(1), 3-21. doi: 10.1080/01411920500401963
Google Scholar CrossrefCunningham, A., & Stanovich, K. (1997). Early reading acquisition and its relation to reading experience and ability 10 years later. Developmental Psychology, 33, 934-945.
Google Scholar CrossrefEpstein, D. (1998). Real boys don’t work: Underachievement, masculinity and the harassment of‘sissies’. In D. Epstein., J.
Google Scholar CrossrefElwood., V. Hey. & J. Maw (Eds.), Failing boys?: Issues in gender
Google Scholar Crossrefand achievement. Buckingham: Open University Press. European Commission (201 0). Gender differences in educational
Google Scholar Crossrefoutcomes: Study on the measures take and the current situation in Europe. Brussels: Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency. Availabe at: http://www.eurydice.org
Google Scholar CrossrefField, A. (2005). Discovering Statistics using SPSS (2nd ed.). London: Sage Publications.
Google Scholar CrossrefFrancis, G. (2007). Introduction to SPSS for windows (5th ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson, Prentice Hall.
Google Scholar CrossrefFrancis, B., & Skelton, C. (2005). Reassessing gender and achievement. London: Routledge Falmer.
Google Scholar CrossrefFrancis, B., Skelton, C., & Read, B. (2010). The simultaneous production of educational achievement and popularity: how do some pupils accomplish it? British Educational Research Journal, 36(2), 317-340. doi: 10.1080/01411920902919265
Google Scholar CrossrefFreebody, P., Maton, K., & Martin, J. (2008). Talk, text, and knowledge in cumulative, integrated learning: A response to ‘intellectual challenge’. Australian Journal ofLanguage and Literacy, 3(2),
Google Scholar Crossref88-201 .
Google Scholar CrossrefFuller, N. (2001 ). The social construction of gender identity among Peruvian men. Men and Masculinities, 3(3). 316-331. doi: 10.1177/1097184X01003003006
Google Scholar CrossrefGilbert, R., and Gilbert, P. (1998). Masculinity goes to school. St Leonards: Allen and Unwin.
Google Scholar CrossrefGilmore, D. (2012). Bar Wars: The Changing Geographies ofGender in Spain. Masculinities and Social Change, 1 (2), 87113. doi: 10.4471/MCS.2012.07
Google Scholar CrossrefGutmann, M. C. (2002). The romance ofdemocracy: Compliant defiance in contemporary Mexico. Berkley: University of California Press.
Google Scholar CrossrefHartigan, J.A. (1975). Clustering algorithms. New York: Wiley & Sons. Haywood, C., & Mac an Ghaill, M. (2001). The significance ofteaching
Google Scholar CrossrefEnglish boys: exploring social change, modern schooling and the making of masculinities. In W. Martino & B Meyenn (Ed.), What about the boys: Issues ofmasculinity in school (pp. 24-37). Philadelphia, PA: Open University Press.
Google Scholar CrossrefKeddie, A., & Mills, M. (2007). Teaching boys: Developing classroom practices that work. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.
Google Scholar CrossrefKimmel, M., Hearn, J. & Connell, R. (Eds). (2005). Handbook of studies on men and masculinities. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Google Scholar CrossrefLingard, B., Martino, W., and Mills, M. (2009). Boys and schooling: Beyond structural reform. New York: Palgrave McMillan.
Google Scholar CrossrefLove, K., and Hamston, J. (2004). Committed and reluctant male teenage readers: Beyond bedtime stories. Journal ofLiteracy Research, 36(3), 335-400.
Google Scholar CrossrefMac an Ghaill, M. (1994). The making ofmen: Masculinities, sexualities, and schooling. Buckingham: Open University Press. Mac an Ghaill, M. (1996). What about the boys? Schooling, class and
Google Scholar Crossrefcrisis masculinity. Sociological Review, 44, 381-397
Google Scholar CrossrefMac an Ghaill, M., & Haywood, C. (2007). Gender, culture and society:
Google Scholar CrossrefContemporary femininities and masculinities. Basingstoke:
Google Scholar CrossrefPalgrave.
Google Scholar CrossrefMartino, W., & Pallotta-Chiarolli, M. (2003). So what’s a boy?
Google Scholar CrossrefAddressing issues ofmasculinity and schooling. Philadelphia:
Google Scholar CrossrefOpen University Press.
Google Scholar CrossrefMartino, W. (2000). Mucking around in class, giving crap, and acting
Google Scholar Crossrefcool: Adolescent boys enacting masculinities at school. Canadian
Google Scholar CrossrefJournal ofEducation, 25, 102-112.
Google Scholar CrossrefMartino, W. (2001). Boys and reading: Investigating the impact of
Google Scholar Crossrefmasculinities on boys’ reading preferences and involvement in literacy. The Australian Journal ofLanguage and Literacy, 24(1), 61 -74.
Google Scholar CrossrefMartino, W. (2003). Boys, masculinities and literacy: Addressing the issues. Australian Journal ofLanguage and Literacy, 26(3), 9-27.
Google Scholar CrossrefMartino, W., and Pallotta-Chiarolli, M. (2005). Being normal is the only way to be. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press.
Google Scholar CrossrefMaton, K. (2009). Cumulative and segmented learning: Exploring the role of curriculum structures in knowledge-building and transfer. British Journal ofSociology ofEducation, 30(1), 43-57.
Google Scholar CrossrefMcKenna, M. C., Kear, D. J., and Ellsworth, R. A. (1995). Children’s attitudes toward reading: A national survey. Reading Research
Google Scholar CrossrefQuarterly, 30(4), 934-956.
Google Scholar CrossrefMillard, E. (1997). Differently literate: gender identity and the
Google Scholar Crossrefconstruction of the developing reader. Gender and Education,
Google Scholar Crossref(1), 1-48.
Google Scholar CrossrefMills, M., & Keddie, A. (2007). Teaching boys and gender justice.
Google Scholar CrossrefInternational Journal ofInclusive Education, 11(3), 335-354.
Google Scholar Crossrefdoi:10.1080/13603110701238785
Google Scholar CrossrefMorrell, R. (1 998). Of boys and men: Masculinity and gender in Southern African studies. Journal ofSouth African Studies, 24(4), 605-630.
Google Scholar CrossrefMorrell, R., Epstein, D., Unterhalter, E., Bhana, D., & Moletsane, R. (2009). Towards Gender Equality: South African schools during the HIV and AIDS epidemic. Scottsvillle: University of KwaZuluNatal Press.
Google Scholar CrossrefOrganisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (2009). OECD Employment Outlook: Tackling the Jobs Crises. Paris, France: OECD.
Google Scholar CrossrefOrganisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (2010). PISA 2009 Results: Learning Trends: Changes in Students. Paris, France: OECD.
Google Scholar CrossrefParsons, S., & Bynner, J. (1999). Literacy, leaving school and jobs: The effect ofpoor basic skills on employment in different age groups. London: Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Institute of Education.
Google Scholar CrossrefRenold, E. (2003). “Ifyou don’t kiss me, you’re dumped”: boys, boyfriends and heterosexualised masculinities in the primary school. Educational Review, 55, 1 79-1 94. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/001319103765529945
Google Scholar CrossrefRowan, L., Knobel, M., Bigum, C., & Lankshear, C. (2002). Boys, literacies and schooling: The dangerous territories ofgender- based literacy reform. Philadelphia: Open University Press.
Google Scholar CrossrefSainsbury, M., & Schagen, I. (2004). Attitudes to reading at ages nine and eleven. Journal ofResearch in Reading, 27(4), 373-386.
Google Scholar CrossrefScholes, L. (2010). Boys, Masculinity and reading: Deconstructing the homogenizing of boys in literacy classrooms. International Journal ofLearning, 17(6), 437-450.
Google Scholar CrossrefScholes, L. & Nagel, M. (2012). Engaging the creative arts to meet the needs of twenty first century. International Journal ofInclusive
Google Scholar CrossrefEducation, 16(10), 969-984. doi: 10.1080/13603116.2010.538863 Scholes, L. (forthcoming 2013). Clandestine readers: Boys’ and girls’
Google Scholar Crossrefdescriptions ofgoing ‘undercover’. British Journal ofSociology of
Google Scholar CrossrefEducation.
Google Scholar CrossrefShefer, T., Ratele, K., Strebel, A., Shabalala, N. & Buikema, R. (Eds).
Google Scholar Crossref(2007). From Boys to Men: Social Constructions ofMen in
Google Scholar CrossrefContemporary Society. Lansdowne: UCT Press. Sinclair-Webb, E. (2000). Our bülent is now a commando: Military
Google Scholar Crossrefservice and manhood in Turkey. In M. Ghaoussoub and E. Sinclair-Webb (Ed.), Imagined masculinities: Male identity and culture in the modern Middle East. London: Sage Publications.
Google Scholar CrossrefStanovich, K. (1986). Matthew effects in reading: Some consequences of individual differences in the acquisition of literacy. Reading Research Quarterly, 21, 360-406.
Google Scholar CrossrefSkelton, C. (2001 ). Schooling the boys: Masculinities and primary education. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Google Scholar CrossrefTabachnick, B., and Fidel, L. (2007). Using multivariant statistics (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Google Scholar CrossrefYounger, M., Warrington, M., Gray, J., Rudduck, J., McLellan, R., Bearne, E., Kershner, R., & Bricheno, P. (2005). Raising boys’ achievement (Research Report No. 636). Norwich, UK: University of Cambridge Faculty of Education.
Google Scholar CrossrefDownloads
Published
Almetric
Dimensions
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
All articles are published under Creative Commons copyright (CC BY). Authors hold the copyright and retain publishing rights without restrictions, but authors allow anyone to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute, and/or copy articles as the original source is cited.
