Closing the Gender Gap in Boys' Literacy in Grade School

Introduction

Reading is one of the most fundamental tools in learning and education, as it is through reading that a great deal of information on an immeasurably broad range of topics can be acquired. While there are of course other methods of presenting and absorbing information, it is through reading that learners can most actively and independently engage with the learning process and the information being presented. In addition to educational applications, reading and literacy are of immense importance in the wider world, facilitating any number of daily tasks and activities and enabling more informed and critical decision-making. Seen in this light, it is clear that those who are at a disadvantage when it comes to reading and literacy are at a disadvantage when it comes to life.

Ongoing research has clearly demonstrated a large and growing gender gap in literacy rates, with girls in Ontario reading at greater levels of proficiency at earlier ages than boys. Attitudes towards reading as well as differences in learning styles appear to be contributing factors to this disturbing trend, and some evidence suggests the problem is heading toward even greater disparity — one that will place male students at an increasing disadvantage throughout their education and into their adult lives. Policy and practice must be adjusted in order to prevent the further erosion of boys' literacy and to restore equality by promoting greater levels of reading achievement in the early schooling years and beyond.

Evidence of the Gender Gap

There is a large and growing body of educational research suggesting that current practices, strategies, and policies are failing male students in a variety of ways throughout their educational careers. This failure carries long-term consequences, setting boys up for lower earning potential and fewer opportunities in adult life. Multiple studies conducted using a variety of methodologies have found that boys drop out of school at higher rates than girls, that boys are less likely to attend university after completing compulsory education, and that boys are more likely to be placed in special education classes (Ontario Education 2004). Lower scores on language arts standardized tests are one of the key quantifiable indicators that literacy and reading comprehension issues may be at the heart of this gender gap, and other evidence supports this conclusion (Ontario Education 2004).

According to one extensive study, boys take longer to develop reading abilities and skills than girls, read less than girls once the necessary skills have been acquired, and demonstrate lower comprehension levels on narrative and most expository texts (Booth et al. 2010). In the United States, another long-term study found that the gender gap in reading and literacy was comparable in magnitude to the gap between African-American and white students — a disparity that has long been a major concern in that nation's educational system (Booth et al. 2010). There is some evidence that boys perform better than girls in reading for information retrieval in certain types of texts, but this narrow area of reverse disparity hardly offsets the broader problems identified in boys' literacy (Booth et al. 2010).

What Needs to Be Done

The research quite clearly suggests that something needs to be done about the gender gap in literacy rates and the lower comprehension and skill levels of male students. What is somewhat less clear is exactly what needs to be done, or how to go about implementing the necessary changes. This is not to say that certain strategies and methods have not been proposed — many have even been studied and demonstrated to have a positive impact — but developing a comprehensive teaching strategy that addresses this gap requires, in many ways, an overhaul of general teaching practices that is complex and difficult to concretely define, let alone implement. Certain entrenched policies and practices further increase the difficulty of making the necessary adjustments to curricula and methodologies.

Education has tended toward greater freedom for independent exploration and less rigid instruction. While this can lead to improvements in some areas for many students, it has proven detrimental to boys in reading, if not necessarily in other subjects (Booth et al. 2004). Providing more structured lessons and daily guided reading experiences with detailed instructions and straightforward response activities can go a long way toward improving literacy in boys, though these approaches run counter to prevailing teaching philosophies in some respects (Booth et al. 2004). Clearly defined assessments and explicitly described processes and explanations of reading material can help boys unlock the underlying logic of reading and improve both comprehension and eagerness — qualities that are fundamental to the development of further reading skills (Booth et al. 2004).

Conclusion

There is an immediate and pressing need to address the continued and growing gender gap that exists in literacy rates and reading skills. With boys increasingly identifying as non-readers as they progress through school — and beginning to do so at younger ages — they are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to higher education and life opportunities. Addressing this issue early in education is essential to creating successful learners out of our boys.