Boys, Masculinities, and Reading: Let's Talk About Multiple Masculinities and Which Boys Are Failing

• In Event: Gender and Its Relations to School Experiences, Achievement, and Violence, Across Countries and From Kindergarten Through Adolescence

Abstract

International measures highlight boys’ ongoing systematic underachievement, compared to girls, in reading. This paper draws on survey data gathered from a broader study concerned with challenging masculinities associated with boys’ failure in reading. The survey asked Year 3 boys about their; (a) enjoyment of reading; (b) self-perception of reading skills and reading frequency; and (c) beliefs about masculinities and reading. Socio-economic, race/ethnicity and reading data was also collected. Analysis indicated inflections in boys’ beliefs, attitudes, and engagement with reading was associated with reading outcomes. The paper argues for the need for public education policies that recognize ‘which boys’ are at risk of failure and government responds that challenge culturally and socially constructed understandings of masculinity through pedagogical reforms.

Author

• Laura Scholes, Australian Catholic University