Genders and answers

Boys’ reading incentive and performance in the face of research results and good practices

Abstract

Both national and international researches report that boys spend less time reading on average, they have lower reading incentive, they appreciate reading less, they consider themselves to be worse readers than girls, reading is rather considered to be a „girlish” pastime. The difference between girls and boys is continuously increasing with age, as it is confirmed by the results of the PIRLS and PISA tests. In the field of reading the biological approach of the differences between genders emphasizes those factors which are congenital ones or emerging as a consequence of maturity parallel to hormonal changes influencing cognitive abilities. Sociolinguistic aspects mention primarily those differences,
which accidentally convey other patterns on behalf of the father and the mother during socialization. The study presents some pedagogical aspects as well, which help or unfortunately hinder boys to become readers, to shape their self-image as readers, their reading performance or their progress in kindergarten and school. The main aim of the study is to present those good practices, which primarily aim at boys. The Finnish project entitled „Reading fathers in kindergarten” starts from the facts that boys’ interest in reading may mainly be raised by a male ideal, an adult man serving as a role model for them. The Boys & Books website is primarily for those adults who may play any role in educating boys to become readers. The website offers boyish reading materials, methodological references for the teaching of reading. The German project entitled „The encounter of football with culture” which addresses particularly disadvantaged boys is based on the conviction that joining football, learning and culture motivates a lot of children and they become more receptive and interested in learning and reading. „The real men”: the main conclusion of an American good practice is if we take into consideration what the boys would like to read, hear, talk about, then they can lose themselves in texts appealing to them. The PISA tests show clearly if boys become committed readers, they can perform better than girls. The good practices outlined in the study all contribute to the achievement of this goal.