BOYS AND LITERACY

Boys and Literacy: What Causes Boys to be Reluctant Readers and What Can Educators Do to
Correct This?
Courtney Bauguess
READ 6418
Dr. Ran Hu
May, 26th 2013

BOYS AND LITERACY

Introduction
If you were to walk into a classroom today and observe the students as readers, what
would you discover? Would you see children actively engaged in a classic piece of literature?
Would you hear words read aloud in a flowing and fluent way? Would you see smiles and
animation on all of the faces of these students as they delve into a good book? Chances are you
would see some of these things occurring but not all of them and not with all of the students. As
an elementary school teacher I see all of these things and also a lack of these things. With my
experience I have noticed that the boys in my classroom usually are the ones that seem the most
reluctant to progress in the core area of reading and also are the ones that are the most reluctant
to pick up a good book and read it through. Upon researching this topic I have found that many
researchers have also been interested in this topic. There are many causes and solutions for this
issue with boys and literacy and this essay will examine some of the major issues surrounding
this topic.

Literature Review
The research shows time after time that boys underachieve when compared with girls in
most areas but more significantly in reading. In The Problem of Boys Literacy
Underachievement: Raising Some Questions, Watson (2010) describes the results that the
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) discovered when they conducted
research on student achievement on reading benchmark assessments. The research indicated that
girls consistently scored higher on these reading assessments. Similarly, Brozo (2006) writes
about the issue of boys and girls in corrective reading programs and referenced the National

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Center for Education Statistics which states that boys outnumber girls in these reading programs.
Most research supports the fact that boys truly are underachieving in most core areas but
especially reading.
While there are numerous studies completed on the issue of boys and their
underachievement in the area of reading, most of the research contains two main themes. One of
these themes is the issue of stereotyping what being a boy means. What does it mean to be a
boy? What should boys be good at? What things should boys be seen doing or not doing? The
term masculinity was a coined phrase throughout the research. Is it cool for boys to be readers?
Even more, is it cool for boys to enjoy reading? Through my reading of the research and
literature it seems that what our society, media and culture portray is impacting boys negatively.
In The Problem of Boys Literacy Underachievement: Raising Some Questions, Watson (2010)
supports this when she states These understandings of what is masculine seem to be aligned
with media representations and common sense understandings of traditional or dominant notions
of masculinity. (Watson, 2010, pg. 357) School has become stripped of any masculinity and
school is developing a feminine connotation. Watson (2010) argues that, hegemonic masculinity
is central to many of the struggles boys face as literacy learners. Claims about what it means to
be a man are used to police boys behavior in school, and these truths seem to be at the core of
the boys crisis. (Watson, 2010, pg. 357) If boys think that they are supposed to act and behave
in one way or another, could this be affecting their achievement? Many researchers such as
Watson (2010) and Barrs (2000) agree that schools need to work to reclaim going to school as
a masculine activity. While it is obviously stated that boys are biologically different than girls,
they will also be behaviorally different as well (Watson 2010). If boys and girls are different in

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these ways then their interests will also be different. This brings about the other common theme
in the literature.
Concretely, boys are different than girls by nature so capturing boys interests should be
approached differently (Watson 2010). Watson states, If boys are naturally interested in sports,
action, and technology and need to be given clear goals and feedback that will challenge them
but also make them feel in control then to improve their achievement in literacy we simply need
to cater to the way boys are hard wired. (Watson, 2010, pg. 358). Brozo (2008) agrees that we
should begin by looking at the attitudes and behaviors of boys to guide us in developing
curriculum that will intrigue their imaginations and interests. In Bridges to Literacy for Boys
(Brozo 2008) the researcher describes two case studies that support this theory of interest. Eight
boys and eight girls in a remedial English class were examined and assessment results for word
study were looked at. Consistently, the girls were higher achievers than the boys. Each day, the
teacher of this classroom noticed that the boys would come in with headphones blaring music,
especially from the Rap genre. He came up with an idea and began to use rap lyrics to form the
basis for learning word families. After several weeks of this instruction the test scores of both the
girls and boys improved and the two genders were equally performing in the class. In another
study a history teacher noticed that one of her male students would not complete a book from
beginning to end. He had never read a book all the way through. Upon giving an interest
inventory she discovered the student had a passion for ice hockey. A reading list was put together
for this student and for the first time, he read a book from start to finish.
Brozo (2008) discusses the different strategies that we can implement to help boys
become better achievers in reading. He suggests building competencies with familiar texts,
tapping into personal interests and passions, developing intricate student/teacher relationships

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and building on the resources that boys bring into the classroom to start. Similarly, Barrs (2000)
states that effective teachers work to ensure that reading is a social activity in the classroom for
both girls and boys and provide ample time for introducing books with the whole class or in
small group. (Barrs, 2000, pg. 292). She also suggests that teachers select literature that will
help students see the pleasure that can be found in reading. Additionally, in the book Reading
Dont Fix No Chevys, (Smith & Wilhelm, 2002) the authors propose ideas for teachers to help
boys become active and engaged readers, thus raising their achievement scores. They suggest
preparing interest inventories at the beginning of the school year to gather students interests and
passions, front loading information before reading a text, and helping boys develop imagination
and sociability within a text.
All of the research and literature suggests that boys who are reluctant to read need
passionate teachers who learn effective strategies to engage boys as readers. The reasoning
behind boys being reluctant to read can be numerous but most likely are from having a perceived
notion as to what boys are supposed to like and how they are supposed to behave in school.
Interest is another main reason that boys lag behind girls in reading. Effective teachers find
strategies to combat these issues and are continuously striving to help boys overcome these
obstacles.

Reflection
The issue of boys underachieving compared to girls as well as boys being
reluctant to read, are topics that I feel need to be examined more. I questioned my own teaching

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beliefs and practices as I conducted this research of the literature. I do agree with the literature on
many aspects of this issue.
The messages that we are sending our school aged boys are stereotypical. Our classroom
libraries are filled with fairy tales and topics of interest to our girls but how many books do we
have that address the interests and needs of boys? When I reflect on my own classroom I realize
that I have so many books and literature that girls so easily respond to and show interest in. My
non-fiction book collection is not as vast as my fiction collection. Boys interests can often be
captured in non-fiction literature. As the literature suggested, boys interests can be different.
They may not be the stereotypical sports and action that we stereotypically think of. It could be
music, arts, or many other ideas. Whatever their interests are we should work to develop libraries
that support them.
I liked the idea of developing interest inventories for students at the beginning of the year.
Most of the literature suggested implementing these inventories in order to drive our instruction
and help develop curriculum for our students. With the current push to teach to the test and
focus on high stakes testing, this can be difficult. At times I feel that I am pushing aside my
students needs and interests in order to be aligned with the new common core curriculum and
teach the skills I need to teach in the time frame provided. After reading the literature, I have
realized that I can still use my boys interests (as well as the girls) in order to develop my lessons
and curriculum. Almost anything can be adapted to fit a particular lesson if we attempt to try it.
The outcome for the boys in my classroom could be amazing if they are truly interested in what
we are learning or doing and if they are a stake holder in their own learning. Building on boys
experiences that they bring into the classroom can be easily connected with curriculum as well.
How exciting it would be for boys to be able to relate to the classroom instruction in a way that

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is truly meaningful and connective. As an educator I can capitalize on the interests and outside
activities that my boys are participants in and help them to become engaged and competent.
The other main theme of masculinity and what it means in the classroom caused me to
reevaluate my teaching and my schools practices. Am I sending the wrong messages to my boys?
Is my school sending the wrong messages? The research shows that boys see reading as a girls
activity and also view it as nerdy or boring (Horton 2005). Reading is also not seen as a
masculine activity in the media and culture that we are activity engaged in today. If boys do have
an interest that isnt considered to be in the realm of masculinity, will they be hesitant to
address it or participate in it? Another issue that was mentioned in the literature is the number of
female and male teachers in the profession. The number of female teachers outweighs the male
teachers in the profession, especially in elementary school. Elementary schools is where the
reading basis is forming and growing. I also believe this has something to do with our boys being
reluctant to read. Feminine teaching styles and female teachers being able to relate to female
students may be excluding to our male population. In my years of teaching it always seems that
the boys are less concerned about their academics than the girls. While there are exceptions, why
is this happening? It has always been a struggle for me to get boys involved in reading and help
them view reading as a pleasurable activity. Instead they see it as a task that is not to be enjoyed,
while my girls are more likely to pick up a book and read it from beginning to end simply for
entertainment.
I believe that the main concern in all of our dual gender classrooms is to create an
environment for boys and girls alike that is conducive to learning. Boys and girls have many
different interests and learning styles and each childs interests must be evaluated and explored.
If we debunk all of the stigma around stereotypes and masculinity roles, boys will feel free to

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engage and become interested in their learning environment. They should be able to do this
without the fear that our culture will deem them uncool. Boys need to read more without the
fear of becoming bored or uninterested. Boys also need to read without feeling that they arent
masculine. If we do not continue and challenge these social stigmas and interests boys will
continue to suffer and will continue to avoid reading. My hope in my own classroom is that I can
help boys learn that there is pleasure to be had in reading. As an adult, I do not usually read
something that is not of interest of me. I choose books and quality literature that support my
interests or intrigue me. While there are times that I read for educational purposes and for
reasons that are not my own, I mostly read for enjoyment. How great it would be to see all boys
reading for enjoyment as well and choosing topics and books that interest them and allow them
to explore the world behind the four walls of the classroom. I truly believe reading is the
cornerstone for learning and my job is to instill that belief in my boys who are still reluctant to
read.

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References

Barrs, M. (2000). Gendered literacy?. Language Arts, 7(44), 287-293. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/41483066
Brozo, W. G. (2006). Bridges to literacy for boys. Educational Leadership, 64(1), 71.
Horton, R. (2005). Boys are people too : Boys and reading, truth and misconceptions. Teacher
Librarian, 33(2), 30.
Hunsader, P. D. (2002). Why boys fail: unlearned literacy. Education Digest, 68(4), 29.
Morrow, L. M., Gambrell, L. B., & Gambrell, F. (2011). Best practices in literacy instruction,
fourth edition. (4th Edition ed.). New York: The Guilford Press.
Smith, M., & Wilhelm, J. (2002). Reading don't fix no chevys. Heinemann.
Watson, A. (2010). The problem of boys' literacy underachievement : Raising some questions.
Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 3(55), 356-361. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/25614569