An exploration of how perceptions of masculinity influence boys' underperformance in English.

This collaborative research aims to explore the factors at play in the current UK gender attainment gap in reading. Boys' disengagement with reading requires renewed approaches if we are to make any impact on the weak literacy and attendant reduction in their life chances (Brozo, 2019). This research will attempt to gauge how attitudes toward masculinity might obstruct learning for boys, while evaluating the efficacy of a 'critical literacy' approach to engaging boys in reading. The comparative model proposed would be embedded in a collaborative partnership with Durham's Local Education Authority (LA), affording the researcher variation of contextual settings, while working in close partnership with County educational experts and a range of schools in developing new approaches to understanding masculinity, teaching reading, and has the potential to shape LA policy.