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Not Just a 'Boy Problem': An Exploration of the Complexities Surrounding Literacy Under-Achievement
- Source :
-
Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education . 2011 32(5):779-795. - Publication Year :
- 2011
-
Abstract
- This paper examines literacy under-achievement and the limitations of gender-based literacy reforms grounded in essentialist notions of masculinity. It draws on qualitative case-study research conducted in one Ontario secondary school in a working-class community. It focuses on two grade 9 students and their teacher who participated in a larger study which examines how the norms and values associated with school-based literacy practices contribute to under-achievement. The cases highlighted in this paper are employed to raise critical questions about the way in which literacy under-achievement continues to be articulated as a "boy problem". This paper also illustrates how the complex and situated nature of the students' gendered and classed identities, interwoven with contextual and pedagogical factors, contribute to literacy under-achievement for some boys and some girls. In addition, it argues that the disjuncture between in- and out-of-school literacy practices warrants further study. (Contains 1 note.)
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0159-6306
- Volume :
- 32
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- ERIC
- Journal :
- Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- EJ952971
- Document Type :
- Journal Articles<br />Reports - Evaluative
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1080/01596306.2011.620759