Abstract
It is well established that girls generally achieve better than boys in Swedish compulsory education. A previously offered explanation is that studying is more acceptable and compatible with dominant femininities than masculinities. Taking this as a starting point, we draw on observations and interviews from three grade 9 classes to explore discourses of gender and achievement among the students and teachers within various teaching contexts. This chapter identifies and discusses three themes that appear to be central to gendered positions in studying. The first theme places studying within the context of other valued social activities and relationships, with (male) effortless achievement being integral to living life to the full. The second theme is the celebration of talent, which – in line with previous research – appears to be particularly important to boys but is shown here to be central to the (de)valuation of girls’ achievements as well. The third theme is future expectations and students’ views of the relative importance of school achievement and grades for their labour market prospects and life chances.
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Notes
- 1.
This study is part of a larger research project – Achievement and gender. On teaching, youth groups and local conditions, funded by the Swedish Research Council (VR 2010-4869).
- 2.
All student and teacher names have been changed.
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Holm, AS., Öhrn, E. (2021). Gendered Discourses on Performance, Work and Talent in Swedish Secondary Schools. In: Carlson, M., Halldórsdóttir, B.E., Baranović, B., Holm, AS., Lappalainen, S., Spehar, A. (eds) Gender and Education in Politics, Policy and Practice . Transdisciplinary Perspectives in Educational Research, vol 3. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80902-7_10
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