1st Edition
Understanding the Boys Issues of Behaviour and Achievement
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.
Biography
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.
'... Head's book provides a useful critique of other theorists and an intelligent summary of current debate ... [He] is adept at cutting through the work of others to find the most useful points for action ... His most powerful theme is the importance of helping boys to understand their psychological make-up'. - The Times Educational Supplement
'I found this book to be an excellent guide in 'understanding the boys'. I would recommend it as compulsory reading for current teachers as well as those currently training in our teacher training institutions.' - British Educational Research Journal
