Why boys won’t read

Why are boys still falling behind girls in reading? Jonathan Douglas and Andrea Quincey examine the findings of the specially formed Commiss

Why are boys still falling behind girls in reading? Jonathan Douglas and Andrea Quincey examine the findings of the specially formed Commission tasked with redressing the balance…

The idea of boys falling behind girls in reading is one that has been long discussed both nationally and internationally. Worryingly, it is becoming more pressing. By the time boys reach school, many are already lagging behind girls. At age five, there is a gap of 11 percentage points between boys’ and girls’ achievement in reading, and by age 11, when pupils move on to secondary school, girls are still eight percentage points ahead of boys. So why is there a gap?

Boys’ underachievement in reading is a significant concern for schools across the country. In a recent National Literacy Trust survey, 76% of UK schools said boys in their school did not do as well in reading as girls. 82% of schools have developed their own strategies to tackle this.*

In late 2011 the All Party Parliamentary Literacy Group, chaired by MP Gavin Barwell, highlighted boys’ reading as an important area that needed Government action. A Commission was formed of eight MPs and Lords to create recommendations to improve boys’ reading achievement. Evidence was provided by a range of experts, including publishers Oxford University Press, Ofsted, Michael Rosen, Anthony Horowitz, and National Foundation for Educational Research, as well as school teachers and boys.

This summer the investigation concluded that boys’ underachievement in reading is associated with the relationship of three factors:

• The home and family environment, where girls are more likely to be bought books and taken to the library, and where mothers/women are more likely to support and role model
• The school environment, where teachers may have a limited knowledge of contemporary and attractive texts for boys and where boys may not be given the opportunity to develop their identity as a reader through experiencing reading for enjoyment;
• Male gender identities which do not value learning and reading as a mark of success.

Key to boys’ achievement as readers is their motivation to read; almost regardless of whether they ‘can’ do it, they really need to want to, and reading has to have a meaningful purpose for them both within and beyond the classroom.

The Commission made some suggestions to Government which aim to tackle the achievement problem through increased motivation. A number of the suggestions are practical ideas that primary schools can adopt:

• Every child should be supported by their school in developing as a reader. This includes valuing the reading choices that boys often make.
• Crucially, schools must promote reading for enjoyment and involve parents (overtly fathers but also other men) in their reading strategies./li>
• Every teacher should have an up-to-date knowledge of reading materials that will appeal to disengaged boys.
• Parents need access to infomation on how successful schools are in supporting boys’ reading.
• Every boy should have weekly support from a male reading role model.
• Family outreach initiatives must specifically support the involvement of male role models in reading – fathers, uncles, grandparents, older siblings.

Executive summary

There is no single solution to turning underachieving and unmotivated boys into readers; a sustained and flexible approach is required. It needs to encourage positive gender identities that value reading, develop a supportive social context for boys’ reading and counteract the possible negative triggers that can turn boys off reading.

A refreshed commitment in schools to promoting reading for enjoyment will strongly benefit boys, who want to read around their interests. To enable this to happen, reading for pleasure needs to be an integral element in a school’s teaching and learning strategy and teachers need to be supported in their knowledge of relevant quality texts that will engage all pupils. There is a specific danger that a predominantly female workforce will unconsciously privilege texts that are more attractive to girls. Boys’ reading choices – not always ‘quality literary fiction’ – need to be understood and valued.

Successful approaches and projects

When practitioners were asked by the National Literacy Trust what would make the biggest difference in raising boys’ achievement, most of the solutions offered mirrored the perceived needs of boys. For example, the majority of practitioners mentioned that:

• engaging pupils’interest would make the greatest difference, including making reading purposeful and combining it with more appropriate texts or linking it with technology to spark boys’ interests;
• a more supportive home environment and more fathers/ men reading are things that could be done to lift boys’ reading achievement;
• more male reading models per se would be a huge benefit to boys.

Transformers

Tackling boys’ motivation to read often starts with tackling deeper issues of self-esteem and confidence. To many boys it is simply not ‘cool’ to appear intelligent or to be seen reading, and this is a challenge for schools. The less academically able boys will often try to protect their own self-esteem by promoting these views. Where these same boys are strong characters they can have a real influence on those around them and can undermine the work of even the most committed and enthusiastic teacher.

Gary Wilson, one of the UK’s leading experts on raising boys’ achievement, recommends using the influential boys to lead projects; to become the ‘transformers’. Putting responsibility in the hands of such children gives them a purpose, raises their self- esteem, and has a knock-on effect on all those around them. Suddenly, learning is cool again. Here are some of Gary’s other tips for building boys’ confidence:

• be aware of gender stereotyping – reflect on how you talk to boys and girls and the roles you give them
• openly discuss gender stereotyping and its impact on children’s sense of identity
• look at slogans on children’s clothing (Messy Monster v Mummy’s Little Princess) and toys for boys and girls
• use positive labelling
• help boys to understand that mistakes are part of the learning process, not a signal of ‘failure’
• praise, praise, praise Taken from ‘Getting the Best Out of Boys’ – a free kit for schools developed by Gary Wilson for Oxford University Press.

The power of character
Promoting reading for pleasure in schools is one way of engaging children, but many boys will still want to know why they should spend their ‘pleasure’ time reading when there are multiple other things they could be enjoying with their friends: doing sports, playing on computers, playing with toys, watching TV. Ironically, there are many aspects of these pastimes that can be associated with ‘good books’ – challenges, mysteries, problems to solve, team work, adventure, action and…great characters.

Choosing reading material with recurring characters is a great way to motivate boys because:

• they genuinely engage with the characters and care about their adventures
• there is a familiarity that takes the ‘hard work’ out of reading a new book
• they have stuff to talk about with their friends
• they can use the characters in their own adventures and play.
• Great character-based reading might include:
• The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series; Young James Bond or Alex Rider; The Edge Chronicles; Superhero and other comics; Character-based reading programmes for schools, such as Project X and the everpopular Oxford Reading Tree for younger pupils

Sports and role models
Using sports and role models is a brilliant way to motivate boys. In fact, research shows that a quarter of boys (28%)** say that a sports person could inspire them to read.

Using any sport or cultural phenomenon will help get boys (and girls too) hooked and engaged with reading. Football is perhaps the most obvious choice, but also the most popular among both girls and boys. There are a number of ways to use sport to engage with your pupils:

• What the papers say. Create comprehension style quizzes based on the day’s sports news – reading doesn’t have to be about books!
• Get a sports author in to talk about their experiences with reading to inspire the children. If an author isn’t available, think of anyone local involved with sport, perhaps a local coach or sports journalist.
• Get your pupils to write book reviews (or ‘match reports’ to avoid literacy terminology) and recommend favourite reads to their peers.
• Get physical before settling down to read. Try a warm up game like throwing a soft football around the classroom and asking questions at the same time.

The possibilities of coupling sport or culture with reading are endless. The main thing is to be active and highlight a different approach.

The National Literacy Trust’s Premier League Reading Stars programme uses the power of football to motivate reluctant readers. It works with 20 highprofile Premier League players that are nominated to become Reading Stars. Each player selects their favourite children’s and adults’ books to create a 40-strong book recommendation list.

Any child with internet access can watch the unique films in which 20 high-profile Premier League players set 100 literacy challenges. Completing challenges unlocks reward films where they explain why they picked favourite books and what they enjoy about reading. A child completing all 100 will get the chance to win some signed memorabilia. Visit premierleagurereading stars.org.uk

*The survey was conducted online between mid-January and mid- February 2012. Findings are included in Clark, C. and Burke, D. (2012) A review of existing research conducted to underpin the Commission, National Literacy Trust (literacytrust.org.uk/boys).
** National Literacy Trust study on role models: Reaching out with role models: the impact of role models on young people’s reading behaviour, Clark, Dugdale and Osbourne, April 2009