On the Causes of Academic Failure by Boys - Research Paper Example

? Gender differences in academic underachievement This paper studies underachievement among boys in the different levels in school. It is found that underachievement is considered as a problem among boys and there is a need for intervention to motivate for higher participation and performance. Table of Contents 1. Introduction 4 Background 4 Purpose of study 4 Problem statement 4 Research questions 4 Limitations of study 5 Summary 5 2. Literature review 6 Adolescence and masculinity 6 Gender differences/ Perceptions of masculinity- influences 6 Education achievement 7 Rationalizations for underachievement 8 Summary 8 3. Methods 10 Participants 10 Design and procedure 10 Data analysis 10 Summary 11 References 12 1. Introduction Background Secondary and high school students in US, UK and other countries have been witnessing an increasing drop in educational achievement of boys when compared to girls. In some of the school settings, research has found that girls outperformed boys in English more than in other subjects (Bush, 2005). While there may be many reasons for underachievement of both, it is more prevalent with performance of boys rather than that of girls. More boys who underachieve in GCSE test in the UK are found to fail or underachieve in the elementary too. It is likely that boys are four times prone to underachieve than girls of the same age. There is an ‘anti-education culture’ (Paton, 2007) gaining acceptance among ‘the lads’, particularly in the working class boys who develop a ‘counter-school culture’ in terms of ‘hegemonic masculinity’ in which the teachers are also found to be accomplices to an extent (Abraham, 2008). Patterns of interaction among underachieving boys and girls are also similar as boys tend to develop anti-education culture more prominent in the early years while girls develop similar behavioural traits at later stages (Myhill, 2002). A study by AUT University in Auckland reveals that more teenage boys, as high as 72 percent, are underachieving and are over-represented in suspension and stand down rates than girls. Also, 10 percent more of girls are entering university when compared to boys (Boys underachieving in school and overrepresented in suspensions, 2009). Although, there has been a general disparity between girls and boys attending primary education in many countries across the globe, over the last three decades, the intervention of Commonwealth has ensured equality in education and gender parity. This has led to increased participation among girls on par with boys. However, underachievement in education by boys is a serious concern faced by almost all countries and is inevitably compared with participation and performance of girls (Jha and Kelleher, 2006). Need for the Study Motivation techniques for underachieving students, which section, is dominated by boys are to be identified to tackle the problem of underachievement in education by boys. It may be that the issue of underachievement is blown out of proportion by a section of the organization or media but the problem remains. Several researchers have tried to understand the reasons behind the anti-education culture exhibited by boys but somewhere down the line, there is a lack of clarity on the nature of problem and the necessary remedies that need to be included in addressing the issue on hand. Statement of the Problem The purpose of this study is to understand the reasons behind underachievement in education by boys. It is to be understood at what stage, boys who underachieve start to show behavioural or performance symptoms. Gender differences and their influencing factors will also have to be related to understand the anti-education culture that boys are found to exhibit. It is also important to understand what solutions can be obtained in this regard and to what extent are they measureable. Limitations This study is limited in scope as it focuses on understanding gender differences and differences in educational performance in the different levels or forms. Although reasons for underachievement by boys will be understood, the study is not comprehensive as it does not take into account experiences of each student, teacher, parent or community but tends to generalize assumptions based on the limited scope of study among the school chosen for this study. The study also does not gather much quantitative data but makes assumptions and final conclusions based on qualitative research data and limited quantitative data from one specific school. This may inadvertently skew the results or findings towards a particular region or school where boy student behaviour and study performance may be a result of the culture in that particular region or country. Research Questions The study aims to address the following research questions to understand reasons behind underperformance in education among boys and the available motivation techniques to tackle the issue: 1. Are underachieving boys a pervasive problem in education today? 2. Is there a problem with boys’ literacy? 3. Do gender differences exist in underachievement? Summary Underachievement in education is more in the case of boys than with girls and this is fuelled by factors that are seen to be out of control of the adolescents who themselves have no clue as the reasons behind their under-participating behaviour and underperformance in education. For this reason, there is a need to understand the different influences on an adolescent in terms of culture, tradition and other social and environmental concerns. Do boys underachieve and if so, why it so, is the focus of this research study. 2. Literature Review Several research studies have investigated the problem of boys’ underachievement in education in elementary, middle and high school. Each study focused on a different aspect of the problem to arrive at potential solutions in terms of helping students coping with the different influences that drive them to extreme and negative behaviour that affect their performance in education right from an early age. The issues in adolescence, problems males face with gender identity, influences in forming gender behaviour, perception of masculinity and its affect on educational achievement, different forms of rationalization that parents, teachers, society and students offer to understand and accept or reject masculinity with a negative connotation will be studied to understand the problem of underachievement in education. Adolescence and masculinity Titus (2004) studied underachievement among boys in US schools and notes that there is a general hype created around adolescent behaviour and underperformance of boys in education. Much of the hype create by the media is considered as a response to moral panic about the denigrating values in schools. This is attributed to the negative behaviour of boys who themselves are at crossroads in terms of framing their identity as individuals. Adolescents have been framed as dangerous and violent having emotional difficulties that lead to their developing negative attitudes towards feminism and education as education is made to look feminine in nature with many of the teachers in primary and secondary education being females (Bush, 2005). Sax (2007) investigated the factors influencing underachievement of boys in schools and reasons for unmotivated males to find that there is a confusing identity of men that is created by the development of feminism in the recent past. While the challenges faced by girls are not discounted, boys too face identity crisis during adolescence with no consistent role model in terms of father or teacher. This leads to them taking a negative approach to the female oriented aspect of education in a predominantly female bastion. Other psychoanalytical problems like ADHD and endocrine disruptors along with social and environmental factors like changes in organizations or school policies, lifestyle changes, etc. are found to have an impact on the behaviour and performance of male students in schools. Further, changing views on masculinity are devoid of healthy masculinity and factors like growing up under single mothers, lack of appropriate role models, latency in developing skills when compared to girls, all add to the confusing identity crisis for young adults. Socio-economic factors too are found to predominantly influence this shaping of masculinity that determines the negative or positive attitude that the boys develop at a very young age, sometimes in primary schools (Palm, 2007). Gender differences/ Perceptions of masculinity- influences Cohen (1999) observes that there is a tendency to locate underachievement among a particular section or group of students. Although, girls as well as boys underachieve, it is the underachievement by boys that has always received much attention for investigation while underachievement by girls is almost a hypothetical non-occurrence as in most countries as in the UK, girls usually outperform boys in almost all subjects with the exception of mathematics. While male underachievement has gained attention to investigate the external factors influencing performance, underachievement by girls is not completely accepted to become a problem in itself (Boaler, 2002; Jones, 2005). Jones (2005) notes that a focus on gender disparities alone has become a disadvantage in studying underachievement in education while other factors like socio-economic status and ethnicity take a backseat. Shelton (2012) notes that career expectations and equal opportunities have undergone a marked change in outlook in recent times with the emphasis on girls. Further, boys’ achievement is seen in relation to the achievement and opportunity provided to girls where feminism and female teachers along with teaching curriculum oriented towards feministic ideas makes an impact on the psyche of male students. It is also seen to influence both male and female teachers’ behaviour, interaction and acceptance of the negative attitude towards this feministic trend in education. As males grow to become young adults, their developmental environment drives them to behave in a way as to detach themselves from the maternal affections and connections which are considered more feministic. Further, adolescents tend to identify themselves with peer groups that try to emulate the negative attitude towards all things feminine (Titus, 2004). While other factors too can be found to influence such a negative attitude towards a school educational setting, there instances revealed in investigations where boys or groups of boys try to avoid a kind of ‘laddish anit-learning’ behaviour typical of underachievers by involving themselves in other activities other than studies that are considered more macho or masculine and which are more acceptable to the peer group of young adults who somehow are averse to the idea of weakness in terms of feminism. It is seen that some of the researchers have pointed at teachers becoming accomplices in such behaviour of male students which may be an indication of their own problems with self-identity in relation to the students as well as the society at large (Abraham, 2008; Bush, 2005). Educational achievement Younger, Warrington and McLellan (2002) study differences in achievement of boys and girls under four broad categories: organizational, individual, pedagogical and socio-cultural. It is found that boys underachieved compared to girls in English, Mathematics and Science at 7, 11, 14 and 16 years of ages. A higher level of achievement is observed in girls in GCSE and NC tests in UK. Such gender disparities in educational achievement have also been observed by Titus (2004) and other researchers who have noted that boys’ underachievement has taken disproportionate levels and can be considered a national crisis. Schober, Reimann and Wagner (2004) note that both girls and boys have equal opportunities of late but it is girls who underachieve in subjects like mathematics and science as parents tend to expect more from boys than from girls. Also, while girls invest more time and effort on studying at home, boys do not show such behaviour. This implies that pressure of achievement is more on boys than on girls. This is added to the perceptions of teachers of masculine behaviour that affects the achievement of boys, and it translates into a situation of moral panic that is triggered by the media publicity and discourse. Baird (2008) notes that underachievement by boys is compared to achievement of girls. As girls perform better than boys, the standard of education is risen. Although, both boys and girls have shown an increase in standard of educational outcomes, boys are still far behind girls in achieving outcomes. Changing economic environment has impacted perception of masculinity and importance of exam outcomes and student performance with underachievement among boys gaining significance. Rationalizations for underachievement Battle (2002) notes that underachieving students usually have talents and motivations beyond their curriculum that usually manifest in sports and other activities. Such students are to be considered differently abled and need motivation to focus and develop their interest in the school curriculum. Further, socio-economic and cultural factors are found to impact behaviour and performance of underachievers in school. It is noted that there may be restrictions in the family and cultural environment where achieving success may be withheld consciously or unconsciously. Students may be prone to distractions and depression at a very young age due to disturbances in family and immediate settings that may affect their motivation and participation in educational activities to impact performance. Younger et al () also suggest that: “Brain differences between boys and girls, boys’ disregard for authority, academic work and formal achievement, formation of concepts of masculinity in conflict with the ethos of the school, differences in students’ attitudes to work, and in their goals and aspirations, girls’ increased maturity and more effective learning strategies, with the emphasis on collaboration, talk and sharing, while boys are seen neither as competitive nor as team players, unwilling to collaborate to learn and teachers’ tendency to interact differently with boys and girls” can be contributory factors for gender disparities in educational achievement. Baird (2008) argues that the attitude of boys towards school and schoolwork, concerns with perceptions of masculine behaviour, personal attributes or emotions that are unfixed, de-industrialization effects on working class, changing perception of exam results in the changing economy, removal institutional barriers for success and acceptance of girls’ achievement, role of men and women in the society at large, etc. are some of the reasons that can be contributed to boys’ underachievement. Summary Socio-economic and cultural factors are seen to dominate and influence boys’ underachievement in education. While on hand, familial influences in terms of expectations and environment affect participation and performance of boys in school curriculum and exam results, on the other hand, it is the cultural influences like peer pressure to behave like a man and develop an attitude of anti-education culture counter feminism and its dominance both at school and in the society at large drive boys to exhibit a negative attribute called masculinity that hampers their focus on curriculum resulting in poor grades. Role of teachers in becoming accomplices in such a negative behaviour is not ruled out completely though. Further, changing economy, role of girls and family expectations are also found to influence gender disparities in performance outcomes in schools in all levels. This is true inspite of the numerous opportunities created for both genders. It can be seen that equal opportunity has enabled girls to take advantage although challenges do exist and which are not easily highlighted, but this aspect too has been found to have a negative impact on anti-feminist boys who after attaining a certain age tend to disconnect themselves from all things considered feminist in nature, including and not limited to mothers and female teachers. In the process of evolving an identity for themselves as men, boys tend to develop and enact a negative attitude called masculinity. 3. Methods The study reveals that there is gender disparity in attaining educational performance in spite of emphasis on equal opportunities. It is learnt that boys across the globe show under-participation and underperformance in school curriculum when compared to girls of the same age. Although differences exist in terms of physical, psychoanalytical, socio-economic and cultural aspects, they are in existence for both boys and girls. It can be seen that there is a tendency to look externally to investigate underachievement by boys, ignoring the personal attributes and perceptions that they develop over time to create a unique identity of masculinity that easily helps in gaining acceptance among peers and society at large. It is also noted that challenges for girls are not given much attention in the various studies conducted till date and they are usually expected to participate and also perform well given the equal opportunities. This prods the need for extended study of a school setting where both girls and boys are found to participate although performance differences may exist. The study of student participation and performance in two schools to assess the level advantage that each set of students take to attain good academic performance can help understand if boys are really underperforming under all circumstances and what factors influence a specific school setting? Participants Participants of the study would be both teachers and students of different forms in a middle school. Participants will be from a two classes in the middle school. The students are found to have varying levels of achievement in all subjects, particularly in English and Mathematics. The schools intends to conduct the study in collaboration to understand the critical factors affecting student performance, particularly that of boys in classes 6 and 7 where these underachieving students are also posing behavioural problems that need to be tackled early on through appropriate interventions. Teachers too will be required to participate in the study as their perceptions of underachieving students and their general attitude towards handling behavioural problems at school matter. Design and Procedure A survey questionnaire that aims at gathering information on perceptions of students on relevance of school curriculum, importance of achieving higher performance grades in the different subjects, attitudes towards girls’ achievement and perceptions of teacher’s involvement and guidance will be helpful. Further, teachers would be required to answer a set of questions on their perception of their responsibility to drive student performance, their level of involvement in supporting students with behavioural problems, their overall perception of underachieving students and their influences and need for interventions to motivate students towards achieving higher performance and participation. Data Analysis The survey questionnaires will be evaluated for responses of both teachers and students to undermine the level of participation and performance outcomes. Management techniques to improve educational participation and performance will be determined based on the responses in the survey. Motivation to participate and improve performance outcomes will be the major focus of the management techniques implemented. Summary Effective management techniques to tackle the problem of underachievement of boys and may be girls too will be identified after studying responses of both teachers and students of a middle school, particularly in the sixth and seventh grades. References Abraham, J. 2008. Back to the future on gender and anti-school boys: a response to Jeffrey Smith. Gender and Education. Vol. 20, No. 1. Taylor & Francis. DOI: 10.1080/09540250701749094 Baird, S. 2008. What's Wrong with Boys? Addressing the Underachievement Argument. Generation Youth Issues. Available online: http://www.generationyouthissues.org.uk/research/underachievement.htm Accessed on: 16th April 2012. Battle, SJ. 2002. Why Bright Kids Fail: Helping the Underachiever. Available online: http://www.about-underachieving-teens.com/why-bright-kids-fail.html Accessed on: 16th April 2012. Boaler, J. 2002. Paying the Price for “Sugar and Spice”: Shifting the Analytical Lens in Equity Research. MATHEMATICAL THINKING AND LEARNING, 4(2&3). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. EBSCO Publishing. Boys underachieving in school and overrepresented in suspensions. 2009. Available online: http://www.aut.ac.nz/news/aut-news/2009/october/boys-underachieving-in-school-and-overrepresented-in-suspensions Accessed on: 16th April 2012. Bush, A. 2005. Paying close attention at school: Some observations and psychoanalytic perspectives on the educational underachievement of teenage boys. Infant Observation 8(1). Taylor & Francis. DOI: 10.1080/13698030500061772 Jha, J and Kelleher, F. 2006. Boys’ Underachievement in Education. Commonwealth Secretariat and Commonwealth of Learning. Available online: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTLACREGTOPGENDER/Resources/CommonwealthBoysUnderachievement.pdf Accessed on: 16th April 2012. Jones, S. 2005. The invisibility of the underachieving girl. International Journal of Inclusive Education Vol. 9, No. 3. Taylor & Francis Group Ltd. DOI: 10.1080/13603110500075123 Myhill, D. 2002. Bad Boys and Good Girls? Patterns of Interaction and Response in Whole Class Teaching. British Educational Research Journal, Vol. 28, No. 3. Carfax Publishing. Taylor and Francis. DOI: 10.1080/0141192022013743 0 Palm, G. 2007. Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men. Network notes. Vol 5, Issue 4. Paton, G. 2007. Boys underachieving at school, says study. Available online: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1559989/Boys-underachieving-at-school-says-study.html Accessed on: 16th April 2012. Schober, B, Reimann, R and Wagner, P. 2004. Is research on gender-specific underachievement in gifted girls an obsolete topic? New Findings on an often discussed issue. High Ability Studies, Vol. 15, No. 1. Carfax Publishing. Taylor and Francis. DOI: 10.1080/1359813042000225339. Shelton, F. 2012. Too Cool for School? Why are our boys not achieving? University of Derby. Available online: http://www.grimus.or.at/helden/outcome/United%20Kingdom_english_final_version1.pdf Accessed on: 16th April 2012. Titus, JJ. 2004. Boy Trouble: Rhetorical framing of boys’ underachievement. Discourse: studies in the cultural politics of education Vol. 25, No. 2. Carfax Publishing. Taylor & Francis. DOI: 10.1080/01596300410001692120 Younger, M and Warrington, M. 2005. Mind the gap: tackling boys’ underachievement. Available online: www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RR636.pdf Accessed on: 16th April 2012. Younger, M, Warrington, M and McLellan, R. 2002. The ‘problem of underachieving boys’: some responses of English secondary schools. School Leadership & Management. Vol. 22, No. 4. Carfax Publishing. Taylor and Francis. DOI: 10. 1080. 1363243022000053411. Read More