Exploring the gender gap: male literacy

 

 

Okay, this post is mucho late, but I was so interested with our topic and the article I read that I had to write SOMETHING on it. Our group had gender and literacy as our topic and since there was four of us (all with busy schedules) we broke up each gender to two people (2 researched girls and two researched boys) and then shared what we learned on a shared Google Doc. What I learned from the article I read on boys and literacy was there is some sort of gap occurring when it comes to boys and literacy and there are two schools of thought as to what might be causing that gap. Some believe the gap is biological and that everything can be traced to how boys’ brains are developed in comparison to how girls’ brains are developed. The article quotes Michael Gurian from an article he wrote on neurobiology and the gender gap. Gurian states female brains are “designed” for “sensory detailed memory storage, better listening skills, and better discrimination between the various tones of “voice” than boys have. These particular skills are key in detailed writing. In contrast, he states that the male brain “is better suited for symbols, abstractions, diagrams, pictures, and objects moving through space than for the monotony of words’. This is why male students tend to “zone out” because their brain is actually geared to ‘renew, recharge and reorient itself’ by entering a rest state”. This hypothesis uses biological differences to determine what might be causing male students to test low on the English portion of standardized testing. Another hypothesis focuses on social differences, stereotypes, and expectations (meaning what is considered “masculine” and what is considered “feminine”). I thought it was interesting that research shows boys in secondary school consider reading and writing to be feminine, and therefore do not enjoy or even feel comfortable participating in these disciplines, let alone excel at them. I also found it interesting that boys were more willing to excel at reading and writing in school when their English teacher was a male and not female (this article states there is a higher percentage of female teachers as opposed to male teachers). Many of the books read in secondary school were considered “feminine” to male students and so they didn’t feel comfortable participating in reading and writing assignments, nor were they interested in story itself. Bottom line to this argument: society dictates what is “feminine” and what is “masculine” and to cross those gender lines is unacceptable.

I believe the situation could be both, but I tend to believe the social argument as opposed to the biological argument. Peer pressure and social stigmas can influence an impressionable teenager’s attitude towards academic pursuits. I just don’t believe that an individual’s ability to memorize data could be based on biological differences. And with the way technology is developing and becoming more important to academic, as well as every-day life, I find it hard to argue that boys’ brains are programmed to understand symbols. In my opinion I believe that an individual’s ability to learn is influenced by social stigmas, economic advantages, ethnic biases, and personal interests. I would recommend any future teacher to read this article because it opened my eyes to the other gender’s point of view.