A recurring chant from teachers about male students is that they spend less time in reading, and demonstrate less motivation to engage in classroom reading. Research from international test results comparing boys' and girls' reading scores, indicates that in 31 countries, female students perform better than their male counterparts in reading, resulting in boys being labeled 'the new disadvantaged' (Foster, Kimmel & Skelton, 2001). So, have teachers in our primary and secondary schools tried to understand the sociocultural of their male students? This question is important, especially as most of the country's teachers are female, and more readily relate to the girls in their classes.
Researchers hve discovered that boys' interests and reading preferences are related to what was once termed the foebidden genres in school and classroom libraries, namely comics and magazines. However, many teachers have now introduced such genres into their reading practices, with the expectation of acquiring students' interest. A recent study among fifth-grade boys by Farris et al., 2009, revealed that male students selected books based on the character and activity displayed on the cover. Additionally, dangerous, life-threatening activities were the most popular plots, along with books that had unusual, interesting fonts and textual features.
The visual features such as captions, photographs and illustrations in e.encyclopedia also captivated the boys' attention. Sequel books proved to be a favourite as the boys followed the adventures of well-admired characters. Most of them chose fact books and informational books that had short passages supported by photographs or cartoon drawings. Laptop computers also enabled the boys to make connections in new ways with members of the wider school community.
Therefore, in considering what books to recommend for boys, teachers have to be mindful that their students' opinions are taken into consideration, and ensure that new technologies are also integrated into the reading curricula.
Reference:
Farris, P. J., Werderich, D. E., Nelson, P. A., & Fuhler, C. J. (2009). Male call: Fifth-grade boys reading preferences. The Reading Teacher, 63(3), 180-188. International Reading Association.
hi Lyn I too read this article and was struck by the differences between the preferences of male readers and female readers. I have observed it with myself and other teachers in the english department who are also female--we like the classics and the conservative type of writing genres.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately our boys love the violence, the supernatural, the action, the comics, the riddle or joke book and the nonfiction. As teachers we cannot continue to disregard the interests of our students because of our preferences.
I have worked on changing my ideas on what is good literature and focussed more on what message or theme is present in this book that i can use to teach. All books have the same universal themes whether it is a comic book or one that is about fantasy,war, manga, science fiction, etc they all boil down to good triumph over evil, human experiences: love, hate, suffering, need to survive, need to belong,etc.
We need to start teaching less for us and what we like and feel comfortable about and be professional and teach for our students. As professionals we should be able to tailor any resource material to serve our ends which would be opening the world of learning to our studens