The Disengaged and Underachieving Boy Boys Early Educational

The ‘Disengaged’ and ‘Underachieving’ Boy? : Boys Early Educational Experiences of Pedagogical Practices Presenter: Nicola Firth

Considerations for today: • What does EYFS data tell us about boys in early education underperforming in comparison to girls? • Pedagogical approaches to play and learning that appear to engage / disengage boys in their learning and development • Gender identity and stereotypes • Research

Context • Considerable amount of research evidences a problem with educational underachievement with boys in comparison to girl’s, not only in the United Kingdom but internationally (Marshall 2014: 106) • There has been less focus on achievement in early years and key stage 1 in comparison to secondary education (Warrington & Younger 2006: 2)

Context and Media Headlines • League tables for primary education were published in 1996 and this is when ‘boy’s underachievement’ hit the media headlines (Mills et al 2009: 41)… ‘Boys at every stage of education are showing "shocking" levels of underachievement’ (Telegraph 2007) ‘Too many boys are hitting a downward spiral of under-achievement that starts at nursery and continues into adulthood’ (Guardian 2009) ‘Clever girls, stupid boys. That's become something of a modern educational orthodoxy’ (BBC News 2015)

EYFS Data • 17 years later statistical data was published for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage profile (Df. E 2014) • 2015 data shows 74% of girls achieving GLD and boys at 59% • 2016 data shows 75. 4% of girls achieving GLD and boys at 59. 7% • • The biggest gaps are in: Reading, writing, exploring and using media and material Being imaginative Managing feelings and behaviour (Df. E 2015: 5)

Theoretical Background Pedagogical Practice: Play-based Learning versus Formal Learning Pedagogy • Lack of continuity in pedagogical practices between children in their early years and those in key stage one of primary education, resulting in a ‘disjunction’ in ‘educational experiences’ (see White & Sharp 2007, Fisher 2009) • Key stage 1 - formal approach to learning with lots of teacher direction (Fisher 2009: 131) • EYFS - child-initiated play based learning pedagogical approach (White and Sharp 2007: 87).

‘School Readiness’ • ‘Performance pedagogical model’ where pre-defined knowledge and skills are acquired for teaching and learning with children in their early years and controlled by the teacher • ‘Competence pedagogical model’ is a contrasting model and emphasis is placed on a range of experiences by which the child has control over • Discourses are both very different pedagogical approaches and cause conflict and tension (Bernstein 2000 cited by Neaum 2016: 248)

Stereotype Threat • Boys being categorised as underachieving may hinder their educational performance • At age 4 both boys and girls are unlikely to be aware of the stereotype that girls are ‘academically superior’ to boys, nevertheless by the age of 7 boys are more aware of this stereotype (Hartley and Sutton 2013: 1721) = self-fulling prophecy? ?

Boys Play / Girls Play • Think about how you observe children playing… • Do you see differences in boys and girls play and choice of toys in their early years? • Search for Superhero play and get: • Search for Disney play and get:

Research tells us… • Boys play competitive games whilst girls prefer to have conversations during free-play • As early as pre-school, children generally choose to play with same sex peers • Boys play more aggressively in comparison to girls (Riley and Jones 2007: 38/39) • Superhero and Disney Princess play: Franchises are anchored by popular media characters that circulate identity and embedded storylines that communicate idealised ways of ‘doing boy’ or ‘doing girl’; Superman = masculine / Disney Princess = feminine (Wohlwend 2013: 4)

Ed. D Research Study Aims: • Identify experiences of young boys pedagogical experiences and how these influence engagement in learning and development • Gain practitioners’ and teachers’ opinions on pedagogy and practice, and how boys learn • Attempt to inform future early years pedagogical policy and practice for engaging boys in early education

Methods of Data Collection • Semi-structured interviews with teachers and early years practitioners • Walking tours and focus groups with 3 boys in each of the following learning environments: PVI nursery, school nursery, reception class and year 1 class • Observation of pedagogical practice in the learning environment and the relationship between the teachers / EYP’s and boys

Voice of the Child UNCRC (1989) Articles 12 & 13 • 12 - Respect for the views of the child • 13 - Freedom of expression; talking, drawing, writing… not only verbal Children’s Positioning in Research: • Minority / marginalised group Adults Positioning in Research Regarding Children • Not necessarily in the best position to represent children’s viewpoints; children have a unique perspective of their own lives (Mukherji & Albon 2010)

Findings so far… Observations of participant boys in PDN: • Engaged in Superhero play • Spend time building with construction, i. e. bricks, making ‘guns’ and ‘lightsabers’, then use to continue imaginary Superhero play • Little time spent in the ‘creative area’ / never observed any of the boys mark making • Tend to play with same sex friends; sometimes allow 1 or 2 girls into their play, but doesn’t last very long • One boy carried his plastic dinosaur with him for the full session and pretended to be a dinosaur; dinosaur involved in every part of his play • Difficulty in sitting and listening at story / singing time

Nursery and Reception Class • Observations of participant boys in school: • Engaged in child-initiated play both indoors and outdoors • Adult-initiated tasks in reception tend to maintain boys attention for longer periods of time in comparison to boys in nursery • Nevertheless girls tended to stay focused on adultinitiated tasks for longer periods in both classes • Outdoor play is very popular with all boys and observed making a den (all boys), playing with the cars and train track (all boys), using the bats and ball (all boys) and washing the shed with water and sponges (all boys)

Differences in Practice PDN • Superhero play allowed • Children allowed to make weapons • Rough and tumble play allowed in imaginative play • Continuous free-flow play indoors • Few adult-initiated activities School • Superhero play discouraged • Children not allowed to make weapons • Continuous access to outdoors; popular with participant boys • Various adult-initiated activities

SS Interviews with EYP’s (5) • All agree boys and girls play in different ways • Boys are ‘loud and boisterous’, girls play more ‘calmly’ • Boys more difficult to plan for, as they don’t always engage in adult-led activities, whereas girls will generally engage • Girls can hold a pencil properly, but most boys can’t • Girls are generally ready formal school learning before boys • All agree that do stereotypically label both sexes • Parents influence stereotypical play choices, particularly those of boys

Reflection • If professionals working with young children do not provide appropriate pedagogical experiences during children’s early education, then the achievement gap may continue and disengagement in boys may be apparent from the outset, and impact on the rest of their school life… = ?

References ü ü ü Df. E (2014). Statistical First Release: Early Years Foundation Stage Profile results in England , 2013/14, London: Df. E (2015). Early years foundation stage profile results in England , 2015, London: Df. E. Fisher, J. (2009). ‘We used to play in Foundation, it was more funnier’: investigating feelings about transition from Foundation Stage to Year 1, Early Years, 29(2): 131 -145. Hartley, B. & Sutton, R. (2013). A Stereotype Threat Account of Boys’ Academic Underachievement, Child Development, 84(5): 1716 -1733. Marshall, J. (2014). Introduction to Comparative and International Education , London: Sage. Mills, M. , Francis, B. & Skelton, C. (2009). Gender Policies in Australia and the United Kingdom. In W. Martino, M. Kehler & M. Weaver-Hightower (Eds), The Problem with Boys’ Education: Beyond the Backlash (pp. 36 -55). London: Routledge. Mukherji, P. & Albon, D. (2010). Research Methods in Early Childhood, London: Sage. Neaum, S. (2016). School readiness and pedagogies of Competence and Performance: theorising the troubled relationship between early years and early years policy, International Journal of Early Years Education, 24(3): 239 -253. Riley, G. & Jones, R. (2007). Review of Research: When Girls and Boys Play: What Research Tells Us, Childhood Education, 84(1): 38 -43. Warrington, M. & Younger, M. (2006). Raising Boys’ Achievement in Primary Schools, Berkshire: Mc. Graw-Hill Education. White, G. & Sharp, C. (2007) ‘It is different … because you are getting older and growing up. ’ How children make sense of the transition to Year 1, European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 15(1): 87 -102. Wohlwend, K. (2012). ‘Are You Guys Girls? ’: Boys, Identity Texts, and Disney Princess Play, Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 12(1): 3 -23.