How often do we hear “he’s just not that interested in reading?”
Boys need literacy skills – not just for school but for life
Numerous studies show that there is a link between a lack of literacy confidence and low self-esteem. Literacy skills are also not limited to the English class. They are required in every school lesson and in all parts of life.
Boys’ Literacy Skills are recognized as a major concern
It is well documented that boys trail girls in literacy. This is not an Australian phenomenon but a major concern amongst global educators. Many studies have been conducted highlighting this issue and have put forward ideas as to why.
The research is hard to ignore
It starts from an early age. Boys are more developmentally vulnerable than girls at school entry. Almost double the amount of boys than girls are considered vulnerable in the area of language and cognitive skills. Refer Figure 1
Gender differences in development vulnerability
AEDC 2012
Boys 
Girls
Figure1. Source: Australian Early Development Census 2014
A longitudinal research study undertaken by the Australian Institute of Family Studies found that boys stated enjoyment of reading reduced at they got older. Starting at a significant 32% for 6-7 year olds, increasing to a disturbing 55% of 10-11 year olds. Refer Figure 2
Boys’ enjoyment of reading & writing
Figure 2. Source: Children’s academic engagement and enjoyment in primary school. Mathew Taylor Australian Institute of Family Studies 2013
Boys are less interested in reading as they get older
Given what we know, it is hardly surprising to find that boys trail girls in NAPLAN results. Girls were substantially less likely than boys to score below the NAPLAN national minimum standard for writing, with 6% of girls scoring below the national minimum standard compared with 16% of boys. Girls also performed better than boys for reading, with 7% below the national minimum standard compared with 11% of boys. Refer Figure 3
Proportion of students below NAPLAN minimum national standard – all ages
Boys Girls
Figure 3. Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 4261.3 – Educational outcomes, experimental estimates 2014
NAPLAN RESULTS DO NOT IMPROVE FOR BOYS IN LATER YEARS.
The NAPLAN results are consistent across age groups and boys are still behind girls in Year 9. More girls than boys scored in the top end of the scale and boys dominated in the lower end of the scale, in particular in the ‘below national minimum standard’ and ‘at national minimum standard categories’. Refer Figure 4
Gender differences in Yr9 NAPLAN performance by brand
Boys Girls
Figure4. Source: Australian Early Development Census 2014
© 2021 Literacy for Boys | All rights Reserved