Many boys in New Zealand are having difficulty at school and are not reaching or achieving to their potential. Over the last 30 years there has been an increasing gender gap in education with girls outperforming boys in most curriculum areas. More boys are likely to be disciplined, expelled from school, placed in special education programmes and leave school without qualifications, than girls of the same age and ability. The aim of this research was to develop a clearer understanding of boys' learning needs and in the process to develop some strategies for improved pedagogy. To achieve this aim and ensure that boys' voices were heard and accurately recorded, boys were trained to be student researchers and consultants within the study. Schools tend to practice a strategy of silence by denying students voice. However students can be valuable collaborators in research and school improvement when given the opportunity. This thesis recorded the voices of boys from Year level 9, 11 and 13 of three culturally and geographically dissimilar secondary schools. A diverse and broadly representative sample of boys was crucial for the study to establish a boys' perspective on school issues. The methods used to collect boys' experiences and perceptions were individual semi-structured interview, boys' only focus groups and a student motivation measurement. Over 400 boys were involved. This research established that boys could be taught the skills and abilities to make a valuable contribution as researchers and consultants to the research process. The boys were astutely aware of the issues of education within their school and were able to process information in a responsible and honest manner. There was a uniformity of viewpoint between boys from the three schools and Year levels on ways they perceived factors enhance and hinder their learning. In particular, boys love activity and challenge and require it to engage their body and their mind. A key component to teaching boys is the teacher/boy relationship that establishes a mutual respect, individual care and consistency of expectations. A disturbing revelation is that a number of boys believe that teachers and schools do not expect them to achieve as well as girls. This attitude must be addressed by all concerned with boys' education and well being.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 94-102).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Committee on Human Development, December 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 201-211). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.) -- University of Alberta, 2010. / "A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Department of Elementary Education, University of Alberta." Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on May 13, 2010) Includes bibliographical references.

M.A. / 1. Motivering vir die studie Die studie is ingelei met ‘n beskrywing van die historiese ontwikkeling van skool maatskaplike werk in onderwys. Daar was bevind dat die doelwitte en die karakter van skool maatskaplike groepwerk gerig is op terapie, en daarop gemik is om probleme te eliminieer wat skoliere moontlik kan kortwiek in hul skool werk. Groepwerk in die verband is ook daarop gerig om die individu in te sluit in ‘n groep sodat hy deel kan voel van die gemeenskap. In Suid Afrikaanse konteks is daar reeds geweldige vooruitgang gemaak in die geskiedenis van die Opvoedkunde, maar skool maatskaplike werk figureer steeds nie in die ontwikkelinge nie. Sommige privaat skole in Suid Afrika het hul eie residensiële maatskaplike werkers. Skole tans steun steeds meestal op die Voorligting onderwyser/es om leerlinge by te staan deur moeilike tye en om hulle toe te rus met die nodige vaardighede vir die toekoms. Tog blyk dit dat meeste van die onderwysers nie oor die nodige vaardighede beskik om leerlinge te help deur hulle toe te rus met die nodige vaardighede om moeilike tye te oorkom nie. Verder blyk dit dat programme wat tans aangebied word, nie in die behoeftes van die leerlinge voldoen nie. In die verlede was Voorligting geïgnoreer as skoolvak. Lewensvaardighede was selde aangebied in skole, en het nie deel gevorm van die skoolkurrikulum nie. Die aanleer van lewensvaardighede was oorgelaat aan toeval. Ervaringsleer is baie suksesvol in groepwerk konteks. Alle lewensvaardigheids klasse is gebaseer op die groepwerk metode. Leerlinge het ervaring daarvan om deel van ‘n groep te wees in een of ander vorm, en daarom is die maatskaplike werk metode iets waarmee leerlinge hulself kan vereenselwig. 2. Doel van die studie Voortvloeiend uit die motivering, is die navorsingsdoel van die studie die ontwikkeling en die evalueering van ‘n lewensvaardigheidsopleidingsprogram. Die opleidingsprogram is bedoel vir graad agt seuns, en die program behoort deel van die totale skool kurrikulum uit te maak. 3. Die geïntegreerde ontwikkelings- en evalueeringsmodel Om uitvoering aan die doelstellings van die studie te gee, is ‘n geïntegreerde teoretiese ontwikkelingsnavorsings- en evalueeringsmodel gekonseptualiseer (Nel en Nel 1993; Nel 1992). Die model bestaan in hoofsaak uit Thomas (1984) se vierfase model, waarin ‘n analise-, ontwerp-, ontwikkeling- en evalueeringsfase figureer. In elkeen van die fases word ‘n aantal materiële voorvereistes gestel, asook metodologieë deur middel waarvan daar aan die voorvereistes voldoen kan word. Aangesien ‘n program as deel van die totale skoolkurrikulum daargestel moes word, is daar in die ontwerpfase van Thomas (1984) se metodologieë afgewyk en hoofsaaklik op opleidingsmodelle in die Bedryfsielkunde asook kurrikuleringsnavorsing in die Opvoedkunde gesteun. De Vos (1991) se Geïntegreerde Model van Programevaluering is vir die evalueeringsfase geselekteer. 4. Die analisefase In die eerste fase is ‘n ontleding van die opleidingsprobleem onderneem, die stand van bestaande programme is ondersoek en ‘n uitvoerbaarheidstudie is onderneem en op grond waarvan daarna besluit is om met die ontwerpfase voort te gaan. 5. Die Ontwerpfase In hierdie fase is daar aan die volgende materiële voorvereistes voldoen, te wete doelstellings en doelwitte is vir die program geformuleer, ‘n praktykmodel is opgestel, ‘n tentatiewe voorstelling van die innovasie is gemaak, en die innovasieprosedures is bepaal. Wat die praktykmodel betref, is ‘n geïntegreerde praktykmodel gekonseptualiseer wat as verklaringsmodel gedien het waarbinne die inhoude van die laboratotiumprogram verantwoord kon word. Uit die praktykmodel is kritieke rolbeskrywings afgelei, asook ‘n vaardigheidsrepertoire is opgestel wat in die program aangespreek work. Gedurende die ontwerpfase was dit ook nodig om die bepaling van programinhoude, die spesifisering van onderigstrategieë en onderigbronne te doen. 6. Die ontwikkelingsfase Nadat ‘n ontwikkelingsplan geformuleer is, het daar ‘n operasionele voorbereiding ten opsigte van die beplande loodsgebruik en ontwikkelingstoetsing plaasgevind. Met implementering van die program het dit geblyk dat sekere verstellings nodig is. Insluitend in die ontwikkelingsfase is daar hoofsaaklik gekonsentreer op programmoniteringevalueering (kwalitatiewe ondersoek) en impakevalueering (kwantitatiewe ondersoek). Vir hierdie doeleindes is ‘n kwasi-eksperimentele navorsingsontwerp benut, waarin voorsiening gemaak is vir ‘n voor- en nameting. Die kontrolegroep het bestaan uit graad agt seuns van King Edward VII School. Die evalueringsinstrument waarvan gebruik gemaak was gedurende die impakevalueringsfase het die Psigo-sosiale Funksionerings Inventaris ingesluit, wat bestaan uit ‘n pen en papier selfevalueringsmetode wat gebruik work om sosiale funksionering te meet. Toepaslike hipoteses is geformuleer en die parametriese hipotese vir twee steekproewe gemiddelde toets: onafhanklike steekproewe is gebruik. 7. Hoofbevinding Daar is in hoofsaak bevind dat ‘n lewensvaardigheidsopleidingsprogram daargestel kon word wat in die navorsingsdoel beantwood het. Wat die programdoelstellings en –doelwitte betref, is bevind dat die program oor die algemeen aan die programdoelstellings en doelwitte beantwoord het / Prof. J.B.S Nel

I conducted a narrative inquiry with five ninth grade boys in my English class that I identified as displaying multiple literacies. The classes I taught the boys in were two sections of honors ninth grade English. The boys came from a variety of backgrounds and lived in various neighborhoods in the approximately 20,0000-member community where we all live. The site of this research was the junior high school in Utah where the boys attend school and I had been employed for six years. After the research was collected, I conducted several negotiation sessions with the boys and their parents at the school, as well as in their homes. These negotiations facilitated a methodological concept I came to call distillation, which is an interim step for determining which narratives in an inquiry are emblematic. My research centered on how these boys storied their literate identities. A review of literature revealed several lenses for conceptualizing the stories of these boys. An analysis of the stories I collected revealed that the boys' stories moved beyond current conceptions of either identity or literacy alone and instead offered a way of looking at literate identity as simultaneously being and doing literacy. In light of this definition, the boys' stories revealed plotlines that together described literate identity as a form of capital. The question of how the boys story themselves is ultimately answered using a meta-narrative about a boon, of gift, that emerges from mythic/archetypal literary criticism. Distribution of a desirable boon that will help society is the goal of a hero story. The boys narrate the ways in which they distribute literacy as a boon. The implications for this research include a need to examine classroom space in order to facilitate the deployment of literate identity capital, as well as space for living out the meta-narratives that these boys are composing.

The purpose of this study was to identify instructional practices that are effective for teaching boys in all-boys, independent schools in Virginia. Teachers' self-reported levels of preparedness to teach boys was also investigated. The study was a basic qualitative study that used a qualitatively designed survey to collect data regarding the instructional teaching practices used by teachers of all-boys, independent schools in Virginia. The reported data identified several instructional practices that align with prior research conducted by Reichert and Hawley (2010b). The findings of this study indicated that active movement and hands-on, interactive learning are effective instructional practices for teaching boys. Additionally, the study indicated that teachers are prepared to teach boys, and relationships built on trust and respect are important for boys to learn. / Doctor of Education / The purpose of this study was to identify instructional practices that are effective for teaching boys in all-boys, independent schools in Virginia. Teachers' self-reported levels of preparedness to teach boys was also investigated. For the purposes of this study, the term "instructional practice" refers to a specific teaching method used in a lesson, unit of study, or assigned task that is effective. The participants could deem the practice effective for a variety of reasons, either measurable or immeasurable, including but not limited to a boy's performance level, behavior, engagement, attentiveness, motivation, and/or overall quality of work. The study was a basic qualitative study that used a qualitatively designed survey to collect data regarding the instructional teaching practices used by teachers of all-boys, independent schools in Virginia. The reported data identified several instructional practices that align with prior research conducted by Reichert and Hawley (2010b). The findings of this study indicated that active movement and hands-on, interactive learning are effective instructional practices for teaching boys. Additionally, the study indicated that teachers are prepared to teach boys, and relationships built on trust and respect are important for boys to learn.

In this particular study the problem is to determine the influence working after school hours has upon a group of junior high school boys. This study is concerned with comparisons in subject matter achievement, self and social adjustment, and behavior records and ratings. It is the purpose of this study to make these comparisons with boys who work after school and those who do not.

The eightfold purpose of this study was: 1. to evaluate the programs of boys' clubs sponsored by organizations in McKinney, Denton, and Dallas, Texas; 2. to obtain and study the aims and objectives of the programs of each club; 3. to obtain and study the aims and objectives of the active membership of the clubs; 4. to evaluate the programs in the light of an over-all guidance program; 5. to determine the different activities and their significance of mental, physical, emotional, economical, social, and moral phases of life; 6. to determine the social and economic status of the membership of the clubs; 7. to discover in which clubs there is a definite need for future professional preparation of adult leaders; 8. to discover the carry-over value of adolescent training through clubs into adult life.

Thesis (M Social Work)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The sexual abuse of boys is regarded as a worldwide problem. Even in South Africa the sexual abuse of boys is described as an epidemic that as the social work phenomenon of women as perpetrators, can no longer be seen as rare. Although legislation, The South African Children’s Act, 38 of 2005 (2006) and The Sexual Offences Amendment Act, 32 of 2007, have contributed to a greater awareness with regards to the boy as victim of sexual abuse, there still is a lot of misconceptions with regards to the boy as victim of sexual abuse. A need for formal scientific research with regards to this problem was therefore identified and lead to the conducting of this study. Focusing on the sexual abuse of the boy in middle childhood was the purpose of this study, because the middle childhood is seen as the most vulnerable developmental phase for the boy to be sexually abused in. Social workers play a primary role in the prevention, early intervention, intervention and after care in this regard. This study was aimed at determining social workers’ opinions on the sexual abuse of boys in middle childhood. The purpose of the study was met through the five goals that were determined. The goals of the study were to discuss the middle childhood as developmental phase within a human developmental perspective and to describe the sexual abuse of boys as social work phenomenon, in order to develop insight with regards to the sexual abuse of boys. Goals determined for the purpose of this study also included the discussion of the sexual abuse of boys as social work phenomenon, focusing on the definition of sexual abuse, inclining factors to sexual abuse, the types of sexual abuse and the context and motivation for sexual abuse of boys. To discuss the different types of perpetrators in the sexual abuse of boys and to investigate the motivations of perpetrators with regards to the sexual abuse of boys were also goals that were determined. This study’s goals were also to investigate the opinions of social workers with regards to the sexual abuse of boys in middle childhood and to make recommendations regarding the promoting of social work service delivery to the sexually abused boy. The literature study that was undertaken builds a foundation for the problem of the sexual abuse of the boy in middle childhood to be seen, within the right context. An explorative and descriptive study was conducted with twenty seven social workers in the Western Cape, Olifantsrivervalley area as geographical area. Semi-structured questionnaires were used for data collection. The results were purposefully processed and analyzed according to a qualitative- and quantitative research method. The empirical study’s findings enabled the researcher to come to certain conclusions. Using the literature study, the empirical study, findings and conclusions that followed on that, recommendations could be made to social workers in order to promote social work service delivery to the sexually abused boy in middle childhood. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die seksuele mishandeling van seuns word as ‘n wêreldwye probleem beskou. Ook in Suid- Afrika word die seksuele mishandeling van seuns as ‘n epidemie beskryf wat net soos die maatskaplike werk verskynsel van vroue oortreders, nie meer as raar beskou kan word nie. Alhoewel wetgewing soos Die Suid-Afrikaanse Kinderwet, 38 van 2005 (2006), asook Die Wysigingswet op die Strafreg (seksuele misdrywe en verwante aangeleenthede), 32 van 2007, bygedra het tot ‘n groter bewustheid van die seun as slagoffer van seksuele mishandeling, bestaan daar steeds baie wanbegrippe ten opsigte van die die seun as slagoffer van seksuele mishandeling. ‘n Behoefte aan formele wetenskaplike navorsing met betrekking tot hierdie probleem is geïdentifiseer met die gevolg dat hierdie studie onderneem is. Vir die doel van hierdie studie is daar gefokus op die seksuele mishandeling van die seun in sy middelkinderjare, aangesien die middelkinderjare as die mees weerloosste ontwikkelingsfase beskou word vir die seun om seksueel mishandel te word. Maatskaplike werkers speel ‘n primêre rol in die voorkoming, vroeë intervensie, intervensie en nasorg in hierdie verband. Hierdie studie het daarom ten doel gehad om maatskaplike werkers se sienings oor die seksuele mishandeling van seuns in die middelkinderjare te bepaal. Die doel van die studie is bereik na aanleiding van vyf doelwitte wat gestel is. Die doelwitte van die studie was om die middelkinderjare as ontwikkelingsfase binne ‘n menslike ontwikkelingsperspektief te bespreek en om die seksuele mishandeling van die seun as maatskaplike werk verskynsel te verduidelik ten einde begrip met betrekking tot die probleem van seksuele mishandeling van seuns te ontwikkel. Doelwitte wat gestel is ten einde die doel van die studie te bereik, het onder andere behels om seksuele mishandeling van seuns as maatskaplike werk verskynsel te beskou, deur te fokus op die definiëring van seksuele mishandeling, aanleidende faktore tot seksuele mishandeling, die vorme van seksuele mishandeling en die konteks en motivering van seksuele mishandeling van seuns. Om die verskillende tipes oortreders in die seksuele mishandeling van seuns te bespreek en om ondersoek in te stel na die motiverings van oortreders ten opsigte van die seksuele mishandeling van seuns, was ook as doelwit gestel. Hierdie studie se doelwitte was ook om ‘n ondersoek te doen na die sienings van maatskaplike werkers ten opsigte van die seksuele mishandeling van seuns in die middelkinderjare en om aanbevelings te maak ten opsigte van die bevordering van maatskaplike werk dienslewering aan die seksueel mishandelde seun. Die literatuurstudie wat gedoen is het ‘n fondasie geskep om die probleem van die seksuele mishandeling van die seun in sy middelkinderjare, in die regte konteks te kan beskou. ‘n Verkennende en beskrywende studie is gedoen en het sewe-en-twintig maatskaplike werkers in die Wes-Kaap, Olifantsriviervallei area as geografiese gebied ingesluit. Semigestruktureerde vraelyste is benut om inligting in te samel. Die resultate was volgens ‘n kwalitatiewe- en kwantitatiewe navorsingsmetode verwerk en geanaliseer. Die empiriese ondersoek se bevindinge het die navorser in staat gestel om sekere gevolgtrekkings te maak. Na aanleiding van die literatuurstudie, die empiriese ondersoek, die bevindinge en die gevolgtrekkings wat daarop gevolg het, kon aanbevelings gemaak word aan maatskaplike werkers ten einde die maatskaplike werk dienslewering aan die seksueel mishandelde seun in sy middelkinderjare te bevorder.