Successful boys and literacy: Are "literate boys" challenging or repackaging hegemonic masculinity?

Curriculum Inquiry

Volumn 41, Issue 4, 2011, Pages 456-479

  Skelton, Christine ^a   Francis, Becky ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM   (United Kingdom)

^b Manufactures and Commerce The RSA   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 80053120735     PISSN: 03626784     EISSN: 1467873X     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-873X.2011.00559.x     Document Type: Article

References (103)

1. Alloway, N., & Gilbert, P. (1997). Boys and literacy: Lessons from Australia. Gender and Education, 9, 49-59.
2. Alloway, N., Gilbert, P., Gilbert, R., & Henderson, R. (2003). Boys performing English. Gender and Education, 15, 351-364.
3. Arnot, M., David, M., & Weiner, G. (1996). Educational reforms and gender equality in schools. Manchester, UK: Equal Opportunities Commission.
4. Aslam, M., & Kingdon, G. (2007). What can teachers do to raise pupil achievement? WP19/08, Department of Economics, University of Oxford. Retrieved June 20, 2010, from.
5. Baron Cohen, S. (2004). The essential difference. London: Penguin.
6. Beck, U. (1992). Risk society. London: Sage.
7. Blakemore, S. J., & Frith, U. (2005). The learning brain. Oxford, UK: Blackwell.
8. Block, C. C., Oaker, M., & Hurt, N. (2002). The expertise of literacy teachers: A continuum from pre-school to grade 5. Reading Research Quarterly, 37, 178-206.
9. Books for Boys. (2010). Retrieved June 20, 2010, from.
10. Brozo, W. G. (2002). To be a boy, to be a reader: Engaging teen and preteen boys in active literacy. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
11. Burman, E., & Parker, I. (Eds.). (1993). Discourse analytical research. London: Routledge.
12. Butler, J. (1990). Gender trouble. New York, Routledge.
13. Canadian Council on Learning. (2009). Why boys don't like to read: Gender differences in reading achievement. Retrieved June 20, 2010, from.
14. Coffield, F., Moseley, D., Hall, E., & Ecclestone, K. (2004). Should we be using learning styles? What research has to say to practice. London: Learning and Skills Research Centre.
15. Connell, R. W. (1987). Gender and power. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.
16. Connolly, P. (1998). Racism, gender identities and young children. London: Routledge.
17. Davies, B. (1989). Frogs and snails and feminist tales. Sydney, Australia: Allen & Unwin.
18. Davies, B. (1993). Shards of glass: Children reading and writing beyond gendered identities. Sydney, Australia: Allen & Unwin.
19. Davies, B., & Saltmarsh, S. (2006). Gender and literacy. In C. Skelton, B. Francis, & L. Smulyan (Eds.), The Sage handbook of gender and education (pp. 236-248). London: Sage.
20. Davies, B., & Saltmarsh, S. (2007). Gender economies: Literacy and the gendered production of neo-liberal subjectivities. Gender and Education, 19, 1-20.
21. Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). (2009). Deprivation and education: The evidence on pupils in England, foundation stage to key stage 4. London: Author.
22. Department for Education and Skills (DfES). (2007). Gender and education: The evidence on pupils in England. London: Author.
23. Department for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). (2010). 2006 National benchmark results. Retrieved June 20, 2010, from.
24. Du Gay, P. (1996). Consumption and identity at work. London: Sage.
25. Dutro, E. (2003). "Us boys like to read football and boy stuff": Reading masculinities, performing boyhood. Journal of Literacy Research, 34, 465-500.
26. Dutro, E. (2008). Boys reading American Girls. In R. F. Hammett & K. Sanford (Eds.), Boys and girls and the myths of literacies & learning (pp. 69-90). Toronto, ON: Canadian Scholars Press.
27. Epstein, D., & Johnson, R. (1998). Schooling sexualities. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.
28. Epstein, D., Elwood, J., Hey, V., & Maw, J. (Eds.). (1998). Failing boys? Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.
29. Francis, B. (1999). Lads, lasses and (New) Labour: 14-16-year old student responses to the "laddish behavior and boys' underachievement" debate. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 20, 357-373.
30. Francis, B. (2000). Boys, girls and achievement. London: Routledge Falmer.
31. Francis, B. (2006). Heroes or zeroes? The construction of the boys' achievement debate within neo-liberal policy discourse. Journal of Education Policy, 21, 187-199.
32. Francis, B. (2009). The role of the boffin as abject Other in gendered performances of school achievement. Sociological Review, 57, 645-659.
33. Francis, B. (2010). Re/theorising gender: Female masculinity and male femininity in the classroom? Gender and Education, 22, 477-490.
34. Francis, B., & Skelton, C. (2005). Reassessing gender and achievement. London: Routledge.
35. Francis, B., Skelton, C., & Read, B. (2010). The simultaneous production of educational achievement and popularity: How do some pupils accomplish it? British Educational Research Journal, 36, 317-340.
36. Frosh, S., Phoenix, A., & Pattman, R. (2002). Young masculinities: Understanding boys in contemporary society. London: Palgrave.
37. Geake, J. (2009). The brain at school: Educational neuroscience in the classroom. Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press.
38. Gillborn, D. (2008). Racism and education: Coincidence or conspiracy? London: Routledge.
39. Gorard, S., & Smith, E. (2004). What is "underachievement" at school? School Leadership and Management, 24, 205-225.
40. Greig, C., & Hughes, J. (2009). A boy who would rather write poetry than throw rocks at cats is also considered to be wanting in masculinity: Poetry, masculinity and baiting boys. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 30, 91-105.
41. Grendler, P. F. (2006). Renaissance education between religion and politics. Burlington, VT: Ashgate.
42. Gurian, M. (2002). Boys and girls learn differently! San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
43. Gurian, M., & Stevens, K. (2007). The minds of boys: Saving our sons from falling behind in school and life. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
44. Hall, C., & Coles, M. (2001). Boys, books and breaking boundaries: Developing literacy in and out of school. In W. Martino & B. Meyenn (Eds.), What about the boys? (pp. 211-221). Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.
45. Hamston, J., & Love, K. (2005). Voicing resistance: Adolescent boys and the cultural practice of leisure reading. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 26, 183-202.
46. Harding, S. (1991). Whose science? Whose knowledge? Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.
47. Hoff Sommers, C. (2000). The war against boys. New York: Simon & Schuster.
48. Howell, B. (2008). Literacy, subjectivity and the gender divide: "The freedom of writing implies the freedom of the citizen" (Sartre, 1948). Gender and Education, 5, 511-525.
49. Ivinson, G., & Murphy, P. (2007). Rethinking single sex teaching. Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press/McGraw-Hill Education.
50. Jackson, C. (2002). "Laddishness" as a self-worth protection strategy. Gender and Education, 14, 37-51.
51. Jackson, C. (2006). Lads and ladettes in school. Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press/McGraw Hill.
52. Jackson, C. (2010). Demanding time: Balancing school and out-of-school demands. In C. Jackson, C. Paechter, & E. Renold (Eds.), Girls and education 3-16: Continuing concerns, new agendas (pp. 157-169). Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press.
53. Jordan Young, R. (2010). Brain storm: The flaws in the science of sex differences. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
54. Keddie, A. (2008). Playing the game: Critical literacy, gender justice and issues of masculinity. Gender and Education, 20, 571-583.
55. Keddie, A., & Mills, M. (2007). Teaching boys. Crows Nest, Australia: Allen & Unwin.
56. King, J. (2009). What can he want? Male teachers, young children, and teaching desire. In W. Martino, M. Kehler, & M. B. Weaver-Hightower (Eds.), The problem with boys' education: Beyond the backlash (pp. 242-261). New York: Routledge.
57. Ladson-Billings, G., & Tate, W. F. (2006). Education research in the public interest: Social justice, action, and policy. New York: Teachers College Press.
58. Lingard, B., Martino, W., & Mills, M. (2009). Boys and schooling. London: Palgrave.
59. Love, K., & Hamston, J. (2001). Out of the mouths of boys: A profile of boys committed to reading. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 24, 31-48.
60. Lynch, K. (2006). Neo-liberalism and marketisation: The implications for higher education. European Educational Research Journal, 5, 1-17.
61. Manuel, J., & Robinson, D. (2003). Teenage boys, teenage girls and books: Re-viewing some assumptions about gender and adolescents' reading practices. English Teaching: Practice and Critique, 2, 66-77.
62. Marsh, J. (2000). "But I want to fly too!": Girls and superhero play in the infant classroom. Gender and Education, 12, 209-220.
63. Martino, W. (1995). Gendered learning practices: Exploring the costs of hegemonic masculinity for girls and boys at school. Canberra, Australia: Department for Education and Training, MCEETYA.
64. Martino, W. (1999). "Cool boys, ""party animals, ""squids" and "poofters": Interrogating the dynamics and politics of adolescent masculinities in school. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 20, 239-263.
65. Martino, W. (2001). "Powerful people aren't usually real kind, friendly, open people!" Boys interrogating masculinities at school. In W. Martino & B. Meyenn (Eds.), What about the boys? Issues of masculinity in schools (pp. 82-95). Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.
66. Martino, W. (2008a). Male teachers as role models: Addressing issues of masculinity, pedagogy and the re-masculinization of schooling. Curriculum Inquiry, 38, 189-223.
67. Martino, W. (2008b). The politics and crisis of boys' literacy: Beyond essentialist mindsets and the boy-friendly curriculum. In R. F. Hammett & K. Sanford (Eds.), Boys and girls and the myths of literacies & learning (pp. 91-144). Toronto, ON: Canadian Scholars Press.
68. Martino, W., & Kehler, M. (2007). Gender-based literacy reform: A question of challenging or recuperating gender binaries. Canadian Journal of Education, 30, 406-431.
69. Martino, W., & Pallotta-Chiarolli, M. (Eds.). (2003). So what's a boy? Maidenhead, UK: Open University/McGraw Hill.
70. Mead, S. (2006). The evidence suggests otherwise: The truth about girls and boys. Education Sector. Retrieved June 17, 2011, from.
71. Miller, J. (1996). School for women. London: Virago.
72. Moss, G. (2007). Literacy and gender. London: Routledge.
73. Myhill, D. (2002). Bad boys and good girls? Patterns of interaction and response in whole class teaching. British Educational Research Journal, 28, 339-352.
74. National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). (2010). The nation's report card. Retrieved June 17, 2011, from.
75. Noble, C., & Bradford, W. (2000). Getting it right for boys...and girls. London: Routledge.
76. Ofsted. (2003). Yes he can-Schools where boys write well. London: Author.
77. Ofsted. (2009). English at the crossroads. London: Author.
78. Ontario Ministry of Education. (2004). Me read? No way! Toronto: Queens Printer for Ontario.
79. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2007). PISA 2006: Science competencies for tomorrow's world executive summary. Retrieved June 17, 2011, from.
80. Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). (1998). Can do better: Raising boys' achievement in English. London: Author.
81. Redman, P., & Mac an Ghaill, M. (1997). Educating Peter. In D. L. Steinberg, D. Epstein, & R. Johnson (Eds.), Border patrols: Policing the boundaries of heterosexuality (pp. 162-182). London: Cassell.
82. Renold, E. (2000). "Coming out": Gender, (hetero)sexuality and the primary school. Gender and Education, 12, 309-326.
83. Rowan, L., Knobel, M., Bigum, C., & Lankshear, C. (2002). Boys, literacies and schooling. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.
84. Sax, L. (2006). Why gender matters: What parents and teachers need to know about the emerging science of sex differences. New York: Broadway.
85. Sax, L. (2009). Boys adrift: The five factors driving the growing epidemic of unmotivated boys and underachieving young men. New York: Basic Books.
86. Scieszka, J. (2005). Guys write for guys read. New York: Viking.
87. Skelton, C. (2001). Schooling the boys. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.
88. Skelton, C., Francis, B., & Valkanova, Y. (2007). Breaking down the stereotypes: Gender and achievement in schools. Manchester, UK: Equal Opportunities Commission.
89. Smith, M. W., & Wilhelm, J. D. (2002). "Reading don't fix no Chevys": Literacy in the lives of young men. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
90. Smith, S. (2004). The non-fiction reading habits of young successful boy readers: Forming connections between masculinity and reading. Literacy, 38, 10-16.
91. Spender, D. (1980). Gender and marketable skills. In D. Spender & E. Sarah (Eds.), Learning to lose: Sexism and education (pp. 128-130). London: The Women's Press.
92. Swain, J. (2000). "The money's good, the fame's good, the girls are good": The role of playground football in the construction of young boys' masculinity in a junior school. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 21, 95-109.
93. Thorne, B. (1993). Gender play: Girls and boys in school. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.
94. Tolley, K. (2003). The science education of American girls. New York: RoutledgeFalmer.
95. Tyre, P. (2008). The trouble with boys: A surprising report card on our sons, their problems at school, and what parents and educators must do. New York: Three Rivers Press.
96. Vincent, C., & Ball, S. (2006). Childcare, choice and class practices. London: Routledge.
97. Walkerdine, V. (2003). Reclassifying upward mobility: Femininity and the neoliberal subject. Gender and Education, 15, 237-247.
98. Walkerdine, V., Lucey, H., & Melody, J. (2001). Growing up girl. Psychosocial explorations of gender and class. London: Palgrave.
99. Watson, A., Kehler, M., & Martino, W. (2010). The problem of boys' literacy underachievement: Raising some questions. Journal of Adult and Adolescent Literacy, 53, 356-351.
100. Weaver-Hightower, M. (2003). Crossing the divide: Bridging the disjunctures between theoretically oriented and practice-oriented literature about masculinity and boys at school. Gender and Education, 15, 407-423.
101. Whitmire, R. (2010). Why boys fail: Saving our sons from an educational system that's leaving them behind. New York: Amacom.
102. Wray, D., Medwell, J., Poulson, L., & Fox, R. (2002). Teaching literacy effectively in the primary school. London: RoutledgeFalmer.
103. Younger, M., Warrington, M., & McLellan, R. (2005). Raising boys' achievements in secondary schools: Issues, dilemmas and opportunities. Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press/McGraw Hill.