This article utilizes a combination of the masculinity and intersectionality frameworks to argue that the underachievement of boys occurs in the intricacies of patriarchy, region (rural area), and class culture. The article utilizes data drawn from a qualitative study at two rural institutions in the parish of Manchester, Jamaica, to critically…

Education ministries in the Caribbean countries have directed considerable attention over the last decade to "solving" the "problem" of boys' underachievement. Rather than considering such interventions, our central concern in this paper is to revisit debates about the interpretation of the issue, to explore whether boys'…

Although working-class boys' disengagement with education continues to be a major public concern, the focus of educational research has been on anti-school, hyper-masculine so-called "laddish" masculinities and their salience within learner identities. What tend to be forgotten are the areas in which low-achieving boys actively engage…

Young boys' "underachievement" and their disaffection with learning continue to dominate education agendas [Francis, B. 2006. "Stop That Sex Drive." "Times Educational Supplement" 30; Peeters, J. 2007. "Including Men in Early Childhood Education: Insights from the European Experience." "NZ Research in…

Concerns about schoolboy "laddish" anti-learning and/or anti-school cultures are pervasive in current education discourses. Mandates to tackle laddishness frequently assume that there is a common understanding of what laddishness means, and also that teachers will know how to tackle it. This article explores these assumptions, drawing…

This article examines recent claims by Jeffrey Smith that: (1) "hegemonic masculinity" is an expression of working class counter-school culture; (2) some teachers are "cultural accomplices" in constructing "hegemonic masculinities" of anti-school working class boys, thereby contributing to their underachievement; and (3) these "cultural…

Attempts to deconstruct the discursive complex around the subject of the "underachieving boy," and to critique its composition and effects from a feminist perspective. Suggests some elements of a feminist perspective on masculinity and schooling, including new research perspectives and teaching strategies. (Author/SLD)

The identity of the underachiever has become synonymous with the stereotypical identity of boys. Teachers know what underachievement looks like: it looks like a boy who is bright, but bored. Evidence from a research study reported here demonstrates that teachers are more likely to select boys as underachievers than girls and that teachers…

Examines ways in which females, as pupils and teachers, are linked, in teachers' accounts, to the educational underachievement of Jamaican boys. Interviews with 47 teachers reveal the crucial role sex/gender identity plays in educational failure. Additionally problematic is the lack of male role models. (GR)

Directing a publicly funded project can present a number of challenges to researchers in reconciling their own philosophy with the expectations of their funders. This paper explores those dilemmas in the context of a four year project funded by the British Government to explore strategies to raise boys' achievement. It reflects on the underlying…