Summary A Level AQA Sociology- Education (Gender- Boys and achievement)

GENDER- BOYS AND ACHIEVEMENT

 LITERACY

 What is mainly the result of boys' poorer literacy
and language skills according to the DCSF?

o The gender gap

o Why?

 Parents may spend less time reading to
their sons

 Another may be that it is mothers who do
most of the reading to young children,
who thus come to see reading as a
feminine activity

 Boys' leisure pursuits such as football, do
little to help develop their language and
communication skills

 By contrast, girls tend to have a 'bedroom
culture' centred on staying in and talking
with friends

,  Poor language and literacy skills are likely
to affect boys' performance across a wide
range of subjects

 In response to this problem, the government...

o Have introduced a range of policies to improve
boys' skills

o e.g. ‘Reading Champions’ shows male role
models reading

 GLOBALISATON AND THE DECLINE OF
TRADITIONAL MEN'S JOBS

 Mitsos and Browne claim that...

o The decline in male employment
opportunities has led to an 'identity crisis for
men'

o Many boys now believe that they have little
prospect of getting a proper job

o This undermines their motivation and self-
esteem and so they give up trying to get
qualifications