School Success for Boys - part 1 : global problems and factors in play

Abstract

Every ounce of success boys have in school as compared to girls constitutes an important characteristic of today’s education system. While we applaud how well a great proportion of girls do in school, the difficulties that plague boys somewhere along the way in their educational pathway is a persistent problem of special concern. This is not just a Quebec phenomenon but occurs in most industrialized countries. The negative impact on individual and social plans has led us to take a closer look at these problems in the hope of better understanding them and of finding appropriate measures. The objective of this College Documentation Bulletin is to offer you an overview of the theme that will prove useful when analyzing the phenomenon and identifying appropriate actions. Focusing mainly on the situation as it exists at the college level, this text is mainly intended as a guide for those who are interested in this issue. Part 1 of this Bulletin deals briefly with the more general question of motivation and school success and focuses more closely on factors that come in play when examining problems of success for boys. The second bulletin will delve more specifically in interventions that can promote success for boys.