Are boys actually bad at reading? Investigating the causes for the gender reading gap.

This study aimed to understand how a range of factors influenced boys’ reading attainment and attitudes in a mixed Year 1 and 2 class, as there is a clear and consistent gender gap between boys and girls in this field. There are a number of factors which influence boys’ reading which were investigated as a result of the literature review: gender and sex; home support; and teacher support. To investigate the research questions, field notes, questionnaires, teacher interviews and child focus groups were used as the methods. The study showed a link between a child’s sex and attainment, but there did not appear to be a link between a child’s gender and their reading attitudes. It also showed that good support from schools has a positive effect on boys’ reading attitudes and attainments. Finally, the study highlighted that parental support has the potential to affect reading attitudes and attainment significantly, and that home-school relations are extremely important. The research leads to recommendations regarding teachers’ subject knowledge of children’s literature and home-school relations