Boys' attitudes towards reading: An ecological approach to understanding diversity and differences in boys' experiences as readers at school

Boys’ underachievement in reading, compared to girls, is of concern in Europe (European Commission, 2010; Organisation for Development and Cooperation (OECD), 2016). The Boys’ Reading Commission, undertaken by the National Literacy Trust in the United Kingdom, highlights how negative beliefs about reading associated with masculinity contribute to this underachievement in reading (Clark, 2012). On a broader scale the consistent gender gap in reading outcomes is recognized by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (2016) in over 72 countries and economies. Socioeconomic status and relative disadvantage are factors that help to explain this underachievement for some boys (European Commission, 2010; OECD, 2016)