Research: Boys & Books - The Necessity of Boy's Literacy

The number of children who are failing to become readers continues to increase in the twenty-first century. The rise of technology is beginning to replace the novelty and importance of reading books. Over the past decade, reading among boys has radically declined in education and popularity compared to girls. Educational and governmental organizations have noticed this negative trend that is affecting boys all across the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Education in 2002, “boys drastically lowered their reading scores across the broad as recorded in a national testing report” (Knowles xiii-xvi). Since then, every year more boys are failing to develop literary individuality. This failure caused literacy experts to suggest “boys are three to five times more likely than girls to have learning or reading disabilities” (Brozo 12). The challenges in Boy’s literacy have never been greater because boys and books have never been so far apart. Therefore, it is absolutely imperative to make sure young boys become readers so they will pursue academic expectations and become cultured individuals in order to achieve a wonderful future. The necessity of boy’s literacy in the twenty-first century is critical to develop young boys to become superior readers in future generations.

Science has helped parents, teachers, and youth leaders to discover why boys are failing to become superior readers. Research indicates boys respond differently to reading than girls. Boys have different personalities and minds. Boys are inherently determined to be independent, emotionless, self-confident, energetic and headstrong (Knowles xii). The dynamic lives of young boys are generally focused on physical sports and outdoor extracurricular activities. Therefore, boys face incredible distractions that keep them from sitting down in a quiet place too read.

There are several reasons why boy’s literacy is failing. Boys are not finding places to read due to the result of parental inefficiency and peer pressure. Parents allow boys to focus too much on sports and other activities rather than academic standards like reading. The two general places where kids read are at school and at home (Knowles xvii). According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report, one out-of-four eighth graders never read in their spare time which lead to a further report of one out-of-five College bound twelfth graders who rarely read outside of school on their own (Baines). This report suggests the lack of boy’s literacy in younger boys carries over to their teenage and young adult lives because they are not reading at home with parental support. Parents need to establish reading as a foundational platform in the household. Young boys will not grow as responsive readers unless parents make a “firm foundation in experiencing joy from books” (Cullinan 321). Building on this foundation of joy will help young boys “delight in the artistry and interconnections in literature, and make connections between their own lives and the books they read” (Cullinan 320-321). The reason why parents need to establish reading in their households is to respond to the peer pressure boys’ face in youth culture. The world of entertainment and sports rarely showcases or involves reading. If they do, reading is usually portrayed by someone who is inferior and unpopular compared to famous people. The ideal concept of being a tough guy results in not reading because the people in the world of entertainment and sports “appear” as if reading is not important. Thus, peer pressure suggests reading would make a young boy nerdy or geeky (Knowles xi-xii). Young boys need to face peer pressure with confidence and support from their parents to understand reading is vital to learning and growing up.

Boy’s literacy is fading due to the lack of interest in books. This is a result of poor academic support. The majority of books in schools are “books based on an ‘issues’ approach, to learn how to reform society – or themselves” (Bauerlein). Even though these books have significant roles in education, they are highly rejected by boys because they are more interested in “adventure tales, war, sports and historical nonfiction,” rather than culture, fantasy, and relationships (Bauerlein). There are too many publishers who are writing books with unsuccessful male role models. Books with male role models communicate an “inspiring biography, military valor, or high adventure” (Bauerlein). Books with positive male archetypes provide exemplary characters that relate to the reader (Brozo 23-47). Publishers are most likely steering clear of masculine stereotypes because of political correctness; however, it is counter-cultural to boy’s literacy because it keeps them from reading books they need to read so they would be interested and motivated in literary individuality (Bauerlein). Boy’s books need to include storytelling abilities because they will “compete with television, movies, and recordings” (Coody 50). The goal for boy readers is to have them never drop the book and continue to read more and more as they discover narrative enjoyment. The decline of boy’s literacy has generated great gender awareness among children’s literature authors and publishers. Throughout the history of the United States, there has been a historical progression of in the world of boy’s literacy to teach young boys how to read, and learn moralistic virtues in order to educate children to benefit society and become successful individuals (Hunt 46-76). Stories containing action, suspense, and relevant themes help capture young boys. Recently, however, contemporary children’s literature focuses on “cultural literacy, political correctness, multi-ethnic representation” (Hunt 321). Authors have noticed this concern and are trying harder to write books that contain elements that interest boys like: humor, adventure, information/nonfiction, science fiction/fantasy, horror/mystery, sports, war, biography, history, graphic novels, and realistic fiction (Knowles v-vii). It is very important that authors and publishers desire to write different genres that are interesting to young boys because it will cause a profound increase in boy’s literacy.

Boys and books need to become friends once again in schools and the home. The future development of boy readers is critical to develop young boys to become superior readers in future generations. If books are not published to captivate the minds of young boys to become lifelong readers, research suggests, “By the time they go on to high school, boys have lost their interest in reading, no longer motivated, and will struggle with the vocabulary that goes with it” (Baurerlein). Parents, teachers, and youth leaders need to get involved and bring awareness to this important subject matter among young boys. Boy’s literacy support groups such as boysread.org are committed to “transform boys into lifelong readers”. If every parent, educator, librarian, mentor, author and bookseller would be motivated to make young boys lifelong readers, the decline of boy’s literacy would swiftly come to a halt.

Reading is one of the most important subject matters among young boys. Boys need to learn how to read because it is foundational to succeed in life and function intelligently in the modern world. They need to read because it is didactic. It is didactic towards their individualism and personality, which makes them smarter and more knowledgeable to have a rich and meaningful life (Brozo 11). If young boys do not learn how to read, then they will grow up with unproductive literary maturity.


Sources
1. Baines, Lawrence. “Cool Books for Tough Guys: 50 books Out of the Mainstream of Adolescent Literature That Will Appeal to Males Who Do Not Enjoy Reading.” The Alan Review, vol. 22.1. Fall 1994. Web. 23 Jun. 2011.
<http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/fall94/Baines.html>

2. Bauerlein, Mark and Stotsky, Sandra. Why Johnny Won’t Read. The Washington Post. 25 Jan. 
2005: A15. Web. 23 Jun. 2011. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33956-2005Jan24.html>

3. Boysread.org, Web. 23 Jun. 2011. <http://www.boysread.org/index.html>

4. Brozo, William G. To Be a Boy, to Be a Reader: Engaging Teen and Preteen Boys in Active Literacy. 2nd ed. Newark, DE: International Reading Association, 2010. Print.

5. Coody, Betty. Using Literature with Young Children. 5th ed. Columbus, OH: McGraw-Hill Companies, 1997. Print.

6. Cullinan, Bernice and Galda, Lee. Literature and the Child 5th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2002. Print.

7. Hunt, Peter. Children’s Literature: An Illustrated History. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press, 1995. Print.

8. Knowles, Elizabeth and Smith, Martha. Boys and Literacy: Practicing Strategies for Librarians, Teachers, and Parents. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2005. Print.