Understanding the Boys

Do you know what makes boys tick? In recent years suicide has drastically escalated among young males and academic underachievement is common, so it is of vital importance that our understanding of the young male psyche is well informed and not merely 'received wisdom'. John Head gets to the heart - and mind - of the matter, by tackling difficult, pertinent questions. Has male behaviour in school worsened, or has media hype inflated the proportions of a 'good story'? What is at the root of male violence? Are biological or social explanations telling the whole story? Head shows that it is only by engaging boys in new arenas of thought and feeling that we can hope to understand and help overcome the difficulties faced by boys today. Essential reading for teachers, headteachers, researchers in education, gender, youth, community and social workers.

John Head is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education at King's College London. A former secondary school teacher, he has undertaken research into aspects of gender and education for twenty years, most recently with respect to the issues of underachievement and behaviour of boys. Through in-service work with teachers, he has been concerned to develop practical strategies for classroom use.

PART I Identifying the Issues 1 Introduction and Overview 2 Biological Effects 3 Personal History: Childhood and Adolescence 4 Social Relations and the Social World 5 The Male Psyche 6 What is New? PART II Addressing the Issues 7 Academic Achievement 8 Schooling and Behaviour 9 Boys at the Margins 10 Understanding the Boys