ABSTRACT
The people in Anthony’s household, his mother and older sister Paulette, both read and write for their own purpose and pleasure, so it isn’t surprising that Anthony shares their delight in stories and wants to gain a mastery over reading and writing for himself. And since his mother and Paulette have both set themselves up to be his teachers, there is a good chance that Anthony’s interest in literacy will be carried back and forth between home and school. (Minns, 1990, p. 34)
Overview
This chapter moves away from a comparison of the differences in boys’ and girls’ favoured content in books, films and computer programs to a consideration of the contexts in which literacy learning occurs and preferences are shaped. It examines some ways in which the social practices of school and those of the wider community work together to create a context in which the separation of the sexes takes place. In Chapter 2, gender differences were shown to have considerable influence on the development of literacy as each new opportunity for learning comes laden with a history of accrued meanings. In this chapter, three spheres of influence are shown to leave a particular mark on the attitudes and expectations that lie behind the scene of reading; these are the family, friendship groups in the local community and the peer group in school. The data from the questionnaires and interviews illustrate how these three influences shape the attitudes of the pupils in the survey. Not only is reading presented generally as an interest more appropriate for adolescent girls than boys by the way in which reading time is structured to include or exclude other members of family or friendship groups but also the school promotes versions of literacy that can be shown to hold more appeal for girls than boys.
