THE BOY-PROBLEM IN EDUCATION AND A 10-POINT PROPOSAL TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT

Abstract

This article starts with an overview of how boys and young adult men fall behind in education in many countries (i.e., the "boy-problem" or "boy-crisis"), with a focus on British education. Following the overview, we review a selection of possible causes and some documented academic opposition against approaches dealing with the boy-problem. We end with a proposal for a problem-focused 10-point plan to reduce the boy-problem. Our plan is "problem-focused" instead of "gender- focused"; that is, we focus on a set of problems from which boys suffer more than girls, but there is no reason why girls suffering from the same problems (e.g. excessive gaming) would not also benefit from the plan's implementation. We are optimistic that a solution of the boy-problem is possible, in particular because the proposed plan is affordable and straightforward, although it requires a major change in societal attitudes towards discipline and education.