Young males view themselves as less competent writers than their female counterparts, says University of Toronto education professor Shelley Peterson.
"I am concerned that boys have repeatedly not performed well in provincial achievement tests and this may have something to do with the way they perceive themselves as writers," says Peterson, a professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of U of T (OISE/UT). "Students themselves don't feel boys are as capable as girls are in writing."
Peterson asked 400 urban, suburban and rural Ohio students in grades four, six and eight to analyze writing samples. The students were asked to determine the gender of the authors of nine stories written by other Ohio students in a neighbouring district. The study found that students perceived the author to be female if the stories were descriptive and well written, and male if the stories had spelling errors and poor grammar. Two female students also remarked that "boys don't write as well" because they "don't take the time to write a long, interesting story."
If left unchecked, perceived incompetence in writing by male students can have wider implications on a child's personal development, says Peterson. "Children often live up to the expectations of adults," she explains. "If boys view themselves to be poorer writers, they will give the impression that they are poorer writers. This can impact their decision to have any career which involves writing."
Peterson also found that female students tended to write more relationship and emotionally oriented stories whereas male students wrote stories about violence or action-oriented themes. "If boys did write about relationships, their peers used disparaging remarks to critique their stories," adds Peterson.
The study was published in the Elementary School Journal in September and is funded by Ohio State University.
CONTACT: Professor Shelley Peterson, OISE/UT (416) 923-6641 x2375,
slpeterson@oise.utoronto.ca
or Sue Toye, U of T public affairs (416) 978-0260, sue.toye@utoronto.ca.