Boys and Literacy 7-12

ELLA Test results show that girls in general are performing better in literacy compared to boys. However, careful scrutiny of assessment data reveals that not all girls are doing well at literacy and not all boys are performing poorly. Factors such as socio-economic status, culture, geographic location and language background interact with gender to impact on students’ development of literacy skills.

Analysis of literacy assessment data will assist schools to develop literacy programs which cater for the needs of their students. Those experiencing difficulty with literacy will require support from all teachers, not just those teaching English. There needs to be an explicit focus on literacy in all key learning areas, with teachers assessing the appropriateness of texts and resources used according to the literacy needs of their students.

Research by Alloway and Gilbert (1997) suggests that the expectations placed upon students by some literacy practices may be at odds with the ways in which boys see themselves as masculine subjects. Ideas of masculinity as assertive, active and competitive may be at odds with passive activities such as reading and the types of literacy activities offered which require self-disclosure, introspection and personalised expression. For example, Martino (1995) found that many boys regarded English as a subject for girls and that 'real' men don’t enjoy reading and writing.

Schools have a role to play in assisting boys to move beyond these restrictive beliefs. By providing opportunities for students to recognise and challenge notions that limit boys’ development of literacy skills, schools will assist students to achieve the best possible educational outcomes.

Literacy programs need to be developed which are broad in their focus and understanding about literacy and also cater for the needs and interests of all students by offering a wide range of texts from a variety of cultural and social contexts. Teachers can expand the boundaries of literacy by developing programs that include multiple literacies such as technological literacies, visual literacies, aural and oral literacies. Participation in programs aimed at developing critical literacy skills, will assist students to analyse critically the messages they receive from a variety of texts about what it means to be a boy or a girl.

There are large numbers of students from backgrounds other than English and students with learning difficulties in the school population. ELLA results demonstrated the need for literacy support for some Year 7 students.

• a peer tutoring program was established which involved 22 Year 10 boys volunteering to undertake a training program in tutoring at Meadowbank TAFE
• tutors met with their Year 7 students four mornings a week with set reading materials that were selected in consultation with head teachers to ensure they supported the Year 7 programs
• tutors completed progress sheets
• the school co-ordinator checked the daily records.

• the Year 7 students were more confident in class work
• the behaviour of the Year 7 tutorial group improved
• most students improved in their reading proficiency
• the Year 10 students gained a qualification that will give them credit towards some TAFE and university courses
• Year 10 participants improved in skills such as skimming and scanning a text for information. They also improved in their communication and social skills showed increased responsibility in their roles as tutors
• leadership skills amongst the Year 10 students developed significantly

• Alloway, N. & Gilbert, P. (eds) (1997) Boys and literacy: Professional development units, Victoria: Curriculum Corporation.
• Alloway, N. & Gilbert, P. (eds) (1997) Boys and literacy: teaching units, Victoria: Curriculum Corporation.

• Fraser, H. (ed) (1995) Challenging the text: Critical literacy units for secondary English, James Cook University: Townsville.
• Martino, W. (1995) Gendered learning practices: exploring the costs of hegemonic masculinity for boys and girls in school. Proceedings of the Promoting Gender Equity Conference, 22-24 February 1995. ACT Department of Education: Canberra.