In an article entitled, “Why boys achieve less at school than girls: the difference between boys' and girls' academic culture,” the author, Mieke Van Houtte, claims that girls are more motivated than boys when it comes to school. She/he blames it on the gender specific stereotypes that our society has on girls and boys. For example, it wouldn’t be “cool” for a boy to make good grades and that it’s okay for girls to be cool and smart. Also, his/her main point is backed up by several tests taken. I completely disagree with his claim. From personal experience, I’ve seen a lot of both ends of the spectrum. The majority of the academically motivated people I know are boys. I also know a lot of motivated girls too. But at the same time, I’ve seen some pretty lazy girls and boys.
One thing I think that Mr. (or Ms.) Van Houtte needs to consider is that boys and girls have mostly different personalities that cause them to learn in different ways. Boys are more energetic and have a shorter attention span, while girls (most of the time) are more reserved and can pay attention to something a lot longer. So if you want boys to be successful, then have a lot of hands on stuff and don’t have.
In regards to the whole “culture” and stereotype thing, I think that the fact that our society has those kinds of stereotypes is a bit ridiculous. A person should not be affected by the way our society views intelligence. If that’s the case, then you have a problem. Girls and boys should have the same amount of motivation to do well. I mean, just because we have physical differences doesn’t mean we can’t academically do as well as each other. That is “so dumb, fo real” (Sorry if you don’t get that allusion).
I think that it all boils down to Carol Dweck’s obsession: MINDSETS. You cannot sit here and tell me that more girls have the growth mindset than boys do. Someone of the growth mindset will “obviously” do better in the classroom. So basically, what I’m trying to say is, gender does not matter.
This actually goes along with what I wrote too. You're right about the stereotypes our society has on being smart being ridiculous. Guys should be able to live up to their full academic potential without being made fun of for being smart and getting good grades. If you want to go anywhere in life, you need to work hard and live up to your potential, starting with your schooling.
ReplyDeleteI love the references at the end by the way.
In my high school, I didn't really notice a gender issue. Sure there were some boys who didn't try hard, but there were also girls who didn't try hard either. I agree that success in the classroom has more to do with your mindset than your gender. Therefore, like Lindsey said in her post, I believe motivation to do well in the classroom does not come from whether your a boy or girl, but it depends on your personality.
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