Are Gender Differences in Reading Inevitable? Some Results and Perspectives Pisa 2003

Setting the Context “As we enter the next millennium it is the under achievement of boys that has become on of the biggest challenges facing society today” (T. Wragg, TES, May16th 1997) “English is more suited to girls it’s not the way guys think. The subject is the biggest load of ---- that I have ever done. I’d worry about guys who like English.” (Marino 1995) 1/14/2019

Reading and Gender: Overall Outcome Pisa 2000: Girls Boys Gap 513 29 Pisa 2003: 530 501 29 1/14/2019

Reading and Gender Numbers of Boys an Girls in Lowest Categories of Reading Proficiency: In Ireland: Percentage of each Gender surveyed: 15% boys at or below lowest level 8% girls at or below lowest level Almost twice as many boys as girls in this category… 1/14/2019

Junior Cert. English 2003 Similar pattern of differentiated proficiency evident: 58,000 + sat J C Ex in 2003: Boys: H.L. 56% ; OL. 38%: FL: 5.8% Girls: H.L. 70%; OL. 26.7%: FL: 3.1% Girls achieved consistently higher grades within all levels. 1/14/2019

Reasons and Causes Many theories in the research literature: Biological and psychological factors: Socio-cultural factors: School and curriculum factors: A complex combination of all these factors come into play in any given context of under achievement or low achievement. 1/14/2019

Biological and psychological factors: Different brain structures Women more emotionally sensitive and linguistically orientated Boys better at spatial-visual ability Differential rates of development in adolescence. Somewhat deterministic view! 1/14/2019

Socio-cultural factors: Traditional definitions of masculinity The power of feminism Economic changes impacting on the social role of the male: changing expectations of behaviour. Literacy’s place in this context 1/14/2019

School and curriculum factors Peer group definition or appropriate behaviour…the need for “laddishness” Feminisation of the teaching profession… Teachers treat boys differently. The generic methodology…transmission for school purposes The content of the curriculum School Attitudes to language and literacy 1/14/2019

Remedies and Ways Forward No need for panic…Not a new phenomenon of boys not bothering to apply themselves to words and word usage Reflex action of blunt, uninformed policy not desirable: Back to Basics will not get anywhere or more conservative teaching approaches…the opposite would seem to be desirable Three areas of possible potential need to be explored in shaping a policy: 1/14/2019

Ways Forward 1: The students Attempting to understand how boys define their masculinity and how that impacts on attitudes to literacy generally. What meanings does literacy have for them? How can literacy practices relate to specific contexts? 1/14/2019

Ways Forward 2: The curriculum Introducing a broader range of “officially sanctioned” literacy practices which relate to identified needs…Content of Reading Courses for Junior Cert. Information Texts Computer based Texts Multi- modal Texts 1/14/2019

Ways Forward 3: The teachers Re-training teachers in diverse skills of teaching literacy practices to boys (Smith&Wilhelm 2002) Competence, control and challenge Respond to individual students needs Design literacy tasks with an immediate purpose Encourage more inquiry based learning Learning relevant to real life contexts. Encourage self –efficacy in controlling the knowledge they acquire 1/14/2019

To be remembered… Reading Don’t Fix no Chevys 1/14/2019