Failure and Natural Growth. Teaching Reading to Boys in Democratic Environments

Abstract

Statistics show considerably lower results for boys than for girls in reading tests and little interest for it on their part, coupled with generally lower participation of boys in schools across developed countries. Educators are often oblivious to boys’ natural reading preferences as a group and reading syllabi as well as reading lists inadvertently favour girls. The pleasure principle adopted to motivate students fails to animate boys and other media, particularly the internet offer convenient escape from the reading class. However, boys benefit from this unintended exclusion by the opportunity for enriching their range of familiar genres and they otherwise naturally tend to take ownership of their reading inside and outside of school, despite knowing their choices are not deemed legitimate by teachers. Parents and educators should offer male role models for readers, restore boys’ self -esteem, ensure richness of input and flexibility in school.