Gendered Readings: Helping boys develop as critical readers

ABSTRACT This paper reports recent findings from a national survey of the reading habits of boys and girls aged 10, 12 and 14. Boys' reading habits are considered in the light of concerns about boys' underachievement in school, and in relation to girls' reading and changing patterns of literacy over time. The authors argue that helping boys develop as critical readers involves taking their voluntary reading seriously and rejecting deficit models. The paper argues that boys need to be encouraged to understand how they have been socially constructed as readers; they need to be engaged in discussion about their reading and the implications of the choices they make. It is only by taking differences seriously that critical and discerning readers will bedeveloped, and critical readers are necessary to undermine current highly gendered reading practices which potentially disadvantage both sexes.     

A Survey of Comprehensive Examination Practices Among Doctoral Programs in Counseling

Doctoral programs in counseling were surveyed concerning their comprehensive examination practices. Most programs require examinations, but practices vary widely regarding degree of structure and procedures.     

Faculty Suicide: Guidelines for Effective Coping With a Suicide in a Counselor-Training Program

This article attempts to provide a preliminary suicide postvention model for a faculty suicide in a counseling department.     

No Place for Girls? Gender,Ethnicity and Citizenship Education in the Lao People's Democratic Republic

Citizenship education in a national curriculum such as that provided in the Lao People's Democratic Republic is contradictory and problematic. The issue for the majority of Lao people is that the subject virtually excludes the rights or practice of ethnic minority cultures or languages, and assumes an equality for males and females without recognising the prevailing unequal and inequitable situation for girls. This paper discusses the implications for girls and minority groups' participation in the wider society, and asks some more general questions about the broader implications for gender and ethnicity education policy in education.     

Learning to be 'Tough': The fostering of maleness in one primary school

In recent years there has been an increase in studies on masculinity and schooling. The focus has largely been upon boys' experiences of secondary schooling and how schools actively produce a range of masculinities. This paper explores the interrelationship between masculinity, primary schools and the local community and culture. The data is drawn from a year-long ethnographic study of an inner-city primary school in the north-east of England.