Which Boys and Which Girls Are Falling Behind? Linking Adolescents’ Gender Role Profiles to Motivation, Engagement, and Achievement

Abstract

Research on gender gaps in school tends to focus on average gender differences in academic outcomes, such as motivation, engagement, and achievement. The current study moved beyond a binary perspective to unpack the variations within gender. It identified distinct groups of adolescents based on their patterns of conformity to different gender norms and compared group differences in motivation, engagement, and achievement. Data were collected from 597 English students (aged 14–16 years, 49% girls) on their conformity to traditional masculine and feminine norms, growth mindset, perseverance, self-handicapping, and their English and mathematics performance at the end of secondary school. Latent profile analysis identified seven groups of adolescents (resister boys, cool guys, tough guys, relational girls, modern girls, tomboys, wild girls) and revealed the prevalence of each profile. Within-gender variations show that two thirds of the boys were motivated, engaged, and performed well in school. In contrast, half of the girls showed maladaptive patterns of motivation, engagement, and achievement, and could be considered academically at risk. By shifting the focus from “boys versus girls” to “which boys and which girls”, this study reveals the invisibility of well-performing boys and underachieving girls in educational gender gap research.

Analysis of the Well-Being Levels of Students in Spain and Finland through Interval Multiobjective Linear Programming

“…As expected, our data show that socioeconomically advantaged students are more motivated than students coming from a lower status family. In line with other studies in the field [22], our analysis also suggests that both Spanish and Finnish girls report more motivation to learn than boys. The number of hours students are connected to the Internet outside school negatively affects motivation in both countries.…”

Instrumentality Gives Girls the Edge: Gender-Differential Relations Between Instrumentality, Achievement Motivation, and Self-Esteem

“…Our findings are in line with research utilizing complex gender role profiles (Lyng, 2009) showing that the most adaptive behavior patterns were exhibited by adolescents who resisted traditional gender norm ideals (Yu et al, 2020) and that gender typicality relates to academic achievement differently for adolescent girls and boys (Yavorsky & Buchmann, 2019).…”

“…The benefits of resisting strict gender roles has been exalted since the 70s (Bem, 1974) yet has not taken hold in the discourse on feminization of school until recently (Yu et al, 2020). A more careful consideration of the multifaceted impact of masculinities in school would benefit male and female students, teachers, and parents.…”

“…Adopting a new perspective that emphasizes the benefits of both expressive and instrumental self-concepts in school contexts (cf. Verniers et al, 2016;Yu et al, 2020) could present an advantage to adolescents. Challenging the view that schools are a feminine space may not only disrupt the alienation felt by boys in school (Hadjar & Lupatsch, 2010) but also the seemingly false promise school appears to make to female students: At school, behaviors that are rather typically feminine are reinforced through good grades, while in working life, success is related to quite different traits (Steinmayr & Kessels, 2017).…”

Examining Social Status Profiles with Gender, School Attended, SES, Academic Achievement and Wellbeing in Urban China

“…As the low social status and aggressive groups were associated with the lowest psychological wellbeing and academic achievement, this finding suggests boys are more vulnerable to falling into the two more maladaptive groups. The findings echo the literature on boy's low achievement (Yu et al, 2020). Thus, future research could explore the cause with the aim of understanding how this disadvantageous development can be prevented.…”