why are girls outperforming boys in secondary school?

Answer 1

girls grow up alot faster so are there for maturer and want to learn and have some idea of what they want to be.where as boys at teenage years just want to have laugh and fool around.but in all fairness there are boys out there and do study and work hard and girls who mess about.tell ya one thing they'l regret it when all they can get is a crappy job that they hate.xx

Answer 2

school is too intelectual.believe it or not, boys are more physically insecure over all than girls. We are not refering to trivials like hairdo, clothing etc. but in a broader sense a boy is turning in to a man and physically is not yet there, which is a major distraction to intelctual focus and bears insecurities or other self expressive additudes that stem from a primitive instinct, whereas girls although will experience natural insecurities through out their teen years will not tend to be affected intelectually because a "girl will always be a girl whereas a boy must become a man."

Answer 3

Boys are often abused more earlier on by the school system itself, in my humble opinion.

If they squirm too much for not wanting to listen to some boring hag, they're labeled with a politically correct "disease" and drugged by force for showing signs of normalcy or masculinity.

Budding masculinity simply cannnot be tolerated. Heaven forbid if one stands up to the school bully. The hero will be punished and this is now routine policy.

I assure you also that feminism has a role in manipulating the system as well as the statistics, as they want women to be escalating in power within the society acccoring to poltical correctness. If a particular school existed where the boys are excelling beyond the girls, do you think this is going to be reported by the liberal media (or even entered into the statistics book)?

Answer 4

I don't know where this idea comes from. My second son is exceptionally bright, and all his primary school teachers (all but one of them women) never stopped telling me how brilliant he was and how talented he was etc etc. They all thought the world of him. He was top in nearly everything all the time. if boys are less well behaved in schools nowadays it is becausse of lack of discipline. When I was at school, in the 1960s-70s, boys and girls alike were expeced to shut up and get on with their lessons. Which we did. The same should be expected of children nowadays.

Answer 5

One problem that is not studied in enough depth is the type of exam questions. There are definitieky question types that favour girls than boys. There are also questions that favour different ethnic groups.
The links below provide discussion and research into this part of your interest.

Answer 6

I know in the case of African-American males they are set up to fail from primary school. This could be a key factor in why they are failing in secondary school. Check out this book titled "Kill Them Before They Grow" and maybe you can find the true answer to your question.

Answer 7

because some most boys (but not this one) are not as concerned about education as girls, or is it lack of motivation in which case everyone has different levels.

been there done that and i'm going further and i'm a guy

Answer 8

Because I guess boys see it as uncool to want to learn!! Or it could be their raging hormones distracting them from working. They'd rather try and chat up girls then study!!

Answer 9

Boys are starting to slack while girls are getting smarter

Answer 10

Barriers at secondary school level
Before 1988, more boys than girls studied science subjects up to age 16 years of age. Where once girls could elect to drop science subjects at 14, the introduction of the National Curriculum means all children must follow the compulsory subjects of science, English and maths together with a number of foundation subjects - including technology - up to age 16. At GCSE, pupils can study double science which is the equivalent of two GCSE courses or single science. In both cases the courses incorporate elements of all science subjects. Alternatively, pupils can study the three separate sciences - biology, chemistry and physics. If they decided to study separate science though, they must study all three. There is no option to study just one or two.

Before science became a compulsory subject in 1988, there was little increase in the proportion of girls passing at least one science subject in examinations at 16. In 1987, about 26% of girls and 34% of boys achieved a pass in a science subject equivalent to a GCSE A-C grade. In 1992 though, 36.6% of girls and 36.5% of boys achieved a grade A-C in a science subject. A similar proportion were successful in maths. Later in 1994, 41% of girls achieved an A-C grade in a science subject against 40% of boys. Again similar proportions of girls and boys achieved A-C grades in maths.

After 16 however, when girls make their choices , the picture begins to change. While in 1991, 14% of boys and 10% of girls achieved at least 1 `A' level in a SET subject, fewer girls than boys take an `A' level in maths and chemistry and fewer still got `A' level physics or technology. More girls than boys though obtained an `A' level in biology. Overall, girls are doing just as well as boys at `A' level and in some subjects are outperforming boys by a wide margin but they are scoring their successes in subjects other than science.

So why is it that even though girls perform just as well as boys up to GCSE, they reject science subjects when they reach 16?

A study by the Policy Studies Institute at the end of 1995 concluded that although efforts had been made in both primary and secondary schools to make maths more accessible to more children, the fear of maths is still a factor in young women's reluctance to study physics and chemistry. It also noted that even the introduction of "balanced" science courses at GCSE, which give equal coverage to the physics, chemistry and biology, and are regarded as a key measure to help prevent girls from dropping physical sciences, has not helped.

A recent gathering of Opportunity 2000 employers and educationalists also expressed concern that balanced science courses may not equip students with the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to continue their science education and may even be a block to studying separate science subjects at 'A' level.

Parental attitudes is another issue. While equal opportunities awareness amongst teachers in secondary schools is as important as it is in primary schools, parental attitudes exert a major influence on children's career choices. A study conducted by Somerset careers education and guidance service at the end of 1995 suggested that not only should careers education and guidance begin much earlier in secondary schools but it should be targeted at parents as well as pupils if girls are to feel free to choose non-traditional career paths.

The quality and quantity of careers education and guidance in schools is also likely to be key to attracting more girls into science, believe Opportunity 2000 employers. Good careers education and guidance should help increase students's motivation and make a contribution to better exam results.

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