Boys' Literacy

Recently, a lot of scholarly attention has been given to boys and their literacy rates because boys are falling behind their female counterparts in reading ability and interest. This problem is international in scope and can first be traced through to kindergarten where boys are retained at a higher rate than girls. Whether the problem of boys' literacy can be traced to female teachers teaching female books as argued by St. Jarre (2008), or to external factors like video games and medicines (Sax, 2007), is irrelevant. What is relevant is that teachers and librarians can take positive measures to combat the international trend.

If boys lose interest in reading because the book selections taught in school are introspective and/or deal with meditative subjects, open curricula to include books with more appeal to male audiences. In a study by Farris, et al. (2009) researchers found that boys like fact-filled books, comics, magazines, and scary stories. They are drawn to books that "look good" with sections of text that are divided by graphic elements and separated by wide margins and white space. "As literacy educators, we need to acknowledge the reading preferences and interest of boys in our classrooms and examine what types of texts are available to use that will encourage boys to read" (p. 181). While classic texts have an indelible place in school curricula, there are many new works that can be incorporated to facilitate important classroom discussion while being more accessible to those students who resist traditionally assigned works. Librarians should work to build collections that include these works, and should foster relationships with teachers and school administrators to attest to the merits of newly published works in a variety of formats.

If boys learn through experiential activities and are inclined to move and do (Sax, 2007), make allowances for their natural tendencies. Story Times and class visits to the library should not be so draconian in their expectations of stillness and quiet. Instead, read a book about the history of outdoor activities and then go outside and play an old fashioned game. Or, start a book club where participants read a well-acclaimed novel as a group, and then use the machines in the computer lab to write to electronic pen pals on skype or via email. Of course, librarians must always work to uphold the safety of all library users, and logistical questions of screening potential pen pals and privacy issues must be thought about carefully.  The point is that boys like the interaction and will better relate to any text that is enhanced for them through action.

Farris, P., et al. (2009). Male call: Fifth-grade boys' reading preferences. The Reading Teacher, 63(3), 180-188. doi: 10.1598/RT.63.3.1

Sax, L. (2007, September). The boy problem: Many boys think school is stupid and reading stinks. School Library Journal, 40-43. Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/printissuecurrentissue/863623-427/the_boy_problem_many_boys.html.csp

St. Jarre, K. R. (2008, January). Don't blame the boys: We're giving them girly books. English Journal, 97(3), 15-16. Retrieved from Arts & Humanities Full Text database.