Interviews with three teenage boys and their parents in a middle-class community explored why the boys self-identify as reluctant readers, resisting approved forms of literacy. They pursue types of reading that contribute to their construction of masculine identities; their parents' attempts to influence reading are conditioned by traditional…

In the first of two studies, the number of feminine women and androgynous men in the oldest age category was found to increase. This suggests that each gender may become more feminine with age. In the second study, a majority of people remained in the same gender-role category over a 10-year period. (BC)

Attempts to deconstruct the discursive complex around the subject of the "underachieving boy," and to critique its composition and effects from a feminist perspective. Suggests some elements of a feminist perspective on masculinity and schooling, including new research perspectives and teaching strategies. (Author/SLD)

Investigated the portrayal of gender characteristics in elementary school textbooks, particularly masculine and feminine stereotypes, examining first, third, and fifth grade literature textbooks using an evaluative instrument based on the Bem Sex Role Inventory. Despite publisher's guidelines and Title IX, males are still portrayed primarily in a…

Explores the notion of masculinities and the impact that social contexts and power relations have on how boys display and practice masculinity as they participate in literacy activities. Presents a quick overview of the study in which the activity took place. Concludes that educators must continue to challenge existing practices of gender in order…

Explored the role of clothing in expressing individual and collective identity among preadolescent English students. Results found that a relaxed enforcement of school uniforms created space for students to use clothing to gain recognition, generate common bonds, and share interests within peer groups. Clothing and footwear were used as an…

Discusses a selection of texts from picture books to novels for older readers as convenient indicators of the changing representations of masculinity that are evident in children's literature. Suggests these texts explore a range of masculinities and offers a means for opening up discussion about gender and socially constructed ways of being male…

Reviews some of the conceptions about boys, masculinity and English that are to be found in the academic literature, before going on to discuss the media constructions of the issues at stake (and why these are problematic). Describes some of the expected and counter-expectational findings that arose from a study of a Year 8 coeducational English…

Discusses the impact of racial stereotyping on the performance of African American and European American athletes, providing an alternative to race-based intelligence differentials. Focuses on stereotypes of African American men; the Bell Curve; the high proportion of African Americans in U.S. athletics; and masculinity and the stereotype of the…

In section I of this article, Beth Berila, director of Women's Studies at Saint Cloud State University (SCSU), St. Cloud, Minnesota, provides a theoretical argument for incorporating Gender Studies into Women's Studies programs, drawing on recent analyses in feminist studies, queer theory, critical race theory, and transnational feminism. In…

The data in this article come from an ethnographic exploration into the construction of masculinities in three junior schools in the UK between 1998 and 1999. The author argues that the construction and performance of masculinity is inextricably linked to the acquisition of status within the school peer group, and he delineates the specific series…

This paper describes the research approach of a case study ethnography. The study sought to explore the peer group understandings of five male friends aged between six and eight years. In exploring the social dynamics of peer culture, and in particular how these dynamics interacted to define, regulate and maintain particular understandings of…

Background: A limited number of mostly cross-sectional studies have examined the possible effects of power sports on aggressive and antisocial involvement in children and youth. The majority of these studies have serious methodological limitations, and results are partly contradictory. Longitudinal studies with representative, reasonably large…

As any teacher or parent knows, adolescence is a time when youth grapple with the question, "Who am I?" Issues of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, and ability can complicate this question for young people, affecting their schoolwork and their relationships with teachers, family, and peers. This new edition of "Adolescents at…

Raising aspirations has been identified as a key strategy for widening educational participation in lifelong learning policy. This article deconstructs the hegemonic discourse of raising aspirations through Economic and Social Research Council-funded research on men, masculinities and higher educational access and participation.The article…