3 - male underachievement

• Various initiatives like courses for teachers to encourage boys to read more fiction and English.
• 'Raising Boy's Achievement Project'


  Researched 60 schools to find ways to motivate boys.
• In 2009, boys beat girls in GCSE maths for the first time in 12 years by 1% roughly.
• Removal of maths and sociology coursework

  Girls are more conscientous with work than boys so disadvantages boys.
• Antischool subcultures:

  • Willis - hostile to school authority and learning. Physical work is essential to develop a sense of identity, deindustrialisation means this is gone.
  • Mac and Ghaill - 'macho lads'
  • Jackson - dominant view of masculinity causing laddish behaviour. Acted tough, disruptive and rejected schoolwork as 'feminine'.
• Feminisation of Schooling:

  • Changes in exams favour girls - GCSES and coursework in 1988.
  • Sewell - methodical working and attentiveness.
  • Coursework should be replaced by final exams.
  • Department of Educational statistics - 26% of teachers in England are male. 38% secondary and 15% primary.
  • Replace conventional ways of being male and increase number of male teachers.