Why boys are falling behind at school

Thursday, Year 2 parents’ evening: We're sitting on small chairs, waiting for the parents’ evening to begin. One father takes a keen interest in the reward system on the wall and exclaims, «Typical: all the girls still have their three beads, but none of the boys have managed to get any by Thursday!»

Studies also show that, on the whole, female pupils are better at following classroom rules and concentrating on their lessons. They are less likely to forget their homework, prepare more conscientiously for exams and achieve better grades. They now make up the majority of pupils at grammar schools and are more successful in higher education.

On the other hand, boys are more likely to repeat a year, are more likely to leave school without qualifications, and are significantly over-represented in special schools. Researchers refer to this as the «gender education gap», which is evident in many countries where girls are no longer held back from academic success by social norms. Why is this the case?

How brain development affects academic success

Various studies point to differences in brain development between girls and boys. They show that the female brain matures earlier. This is particularly true of the prefrontal cortex. This area is closely linked to the ability to exercise self-control.

Planning, pursuing goals, weighing up consequences, controlling impulses, regulating emotions and concentrating – all these skills, which we associate with reason and maturity, are linked to the prefrontal cortex. Key developmental milestones in this area of the brain occur on average around two years earlier in girls than in boys, as demonstrated by a large-scale long-term study by the US National Institute of Mental Health involving over 2,000 children.

Motivating targets, brief, clear instructions, a bit of competition and immediate feedback often appeal more to boys than long periods of listening or working through worksheets on their own.

However, differences can also be observed in two other key areas. For instance, girls also show an advantage in language development. As a result, they tend to find it easier to learn to read and write.

At the same time, during puberty, boys’ reward systems respond much more strongly to short-term rewards than girls’. Consequently, boys find it much harder to put aside that exciting video game or mobile phone and study for an exam that isn't until next week.

Girls therefore have a more biologically mature brain – particularly between the ages of 10 and 15. This head start is worth its weight in gold at school.

Social reasons

However, the gender education gap also has social causes. Certain behaviours that lead to academic success – such as a certain degree of conformity, diligence or keeping a diary meticulously – are regarded by many boys and young men as «unmanly» and «uncool».

In many groups of boys, to fit in and avoid being labelled a swot, it is considered good form not to try too hard at school and to go against social norms.

When fathers read aloud to their sons on a regular basis, thereby conveying the message that reading is not a «girly» activity, their reading skills improve.

At the same time, boys – particularly those in primary school – are far less likely to encounter role models of the same sex who show them that masculinity is perfectly compatible with education and intellectual pursuits.

Last but not least, when faced with family problems, boys tend to react by refusing to perform and displaying disruptive behaviour at school, whereas girls in difficult situations more often try to find at least some stability through their academic performance.

How to get boys interested in school and education

How should we view this development? Let us first of all be glad that girls are finally able to show what they are capable of. Until a few decades ago, they were systematically disadvantaged in education – for example, through poorer access to grammar schools or an upbringing that discouraged them from pursuing higher education.

The fact that girls are now more successful at school also shows that these barriers have largely been broken down and that girls are by no means less talented or intelligent, as has long been claimed.

Fathers have a significantly greater influence on their sons’ motivation to achieve than mothers do.

At the same time, we face the challenge of finding ways to get boys interested in school and education. As parents, we have just as much of a role to play in this as the school does. The school, for its part, can strive to make lessons more practical, incorporate physical activity more fully, and equip boys with a modern understanding of success and masculinity.

She can take a leaf out of the book in areas where boys often show more motivation, such as sport, music or video games. Motivating targets, brief, clear instructions, a bit of healthy competition now and then, and immediate feedback often appeal to boys more than long periods of listening or working through worksheets on their own.

The influence of fathers

When we look at the family sphere, research shows that we fathers have a significant role to play. For instance, the Sustain study conducted by the University of Hamburg demonstrates that fathers have a significantly greater influence on their sons’ motivation to achieve than mothers do.

The impact on academic performance is particularly significant in science subjects, but is also evident in reading. A large number of studies highlight that boys’ reading skills improve significantly when fathers read to them regularly, thereby conveying the message that reading is not purely a «female» activity.

Longitudinal studies from Scandinavia, on the other hand, have found that boys aged between 12 and 15 show a significantly higher tolerance for frustration when studying if their fathers are actively involved in their upbringing on a day-to-day basis, rather than simply acting as playmates in the evenings or at weekends.

So, as parents, we are less likely to succeed in conveying to our children that education is valuable and by no means uncool by constantly asking about their marks or urging them to try harder. Instead, it is important to be there for them and to show a genuine interest in school and the subjects taught there.