Failing in Basic School: Discourses of Explanation

Abstract

Discourse study was aimed to analyse the methodolody of educational research concerning problems of failing in basic school. There the gender discourse appeared as a substantial issue, while remarkable differences between boys and girls are revealed by official statistics and educational studies. The sustainability of a society with such a gender imbalance in education is at risk, since the educational choices will influence choices in the labor market and in lifestyle in broader terms. It is therefore important to look for explanations for gender differences in education (coping strategies, achievement, etc.). In line with the theories of multiple masculinities can be argued that looking at the so-called failing boys as a homogenous group will not take us very far in understanding the underlying reasons for the causes of failing. If the coping at school is related to the gender, then the solution of the problem has to be derived from the gender differences too, but this kind of thinking would connote to the gender stereotypes. Thus, a historical overview of educational research carried out in Estonia in the last century is provided, focusing on the discourse of gender in the educational science. There are different periods pointed out in relation to the focus in studies of academic success: there have been years, when the boys' results in academic skills were higher than girls' results; problems of health and social relations have been treated in different way during different periods. Content analysis of the studies concerning gender issues will be the basis for the discussion, and special attention will be given to the research of pupils' lifestyle. Key words: coping, essentialist vs. sociocultural approach, gender, lifestyle, multiple masculinity.