ABSTRACT
There is an accumulated weight of research evidence to suggest that of all the areas of the curriculum, English is the one in which girls excel, and the one which they most enjoy. Results from the earliest years of formal schooling in the UK right up to those from examinations at school leaving age, indicate that girls as a group do better than boys in English. This finding holds true across different modes of language use, within aspects of one or other mode of language, and seems little affected by the context or style of assessment. Similar findings are reported from international studies which have sought to measure performance in reading and writing the language of instruction of other school systems. Perhaps, then, an examination of some of the ways in which English is taught and learned might reveal the distinctive features of an effective pedagogy for girls?
