Failing boys : poor achievement and the construction of masculinity of six Indian boys in a secondary school in Chatsworth, Durban.

This research project investigates the ways in which six Indian boys who have been officially proclaimed failures in grade 11 construct their masculinity in Meadowlands Secondary School, a predominantly Indian technical secondary school in a working class area of Chatsworth. The way in which failin...

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Main Author: Maduray, Manimagalay.
Other Authors: Bhana, Deevia.
Language:en
Published: 2010
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10413/1833
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spelling ndltd-netd.ac.za-oai-union.ndltd.org-ukzn-oai-http---researchspace.ukzn.ac.za-10413-18332014-02-08T03:49:02ZFailing boys : poor achievement and the construction of masculinity of six Indian boys in a secondary school in Chatsworth, Durban.Maduray, Manimagalay.School failure.Masculinity--KwaZulu-Natal.Indians--Education--KwaZulu-Natal.Teenage boys--Education--KwaZulu-Natal.Theses--Education.This research project investigates the ways in which six Indian boys who have been officially proclaimed failures in grade 11 construct their masculinity in Meadowlands Secondary School, a predominantly Indian technical secondary school in a working class area of Chatsworth. The way in which failing Indian boys construct their masculinity is under-researched in South Africa. When boys are officially declared academic failures by the school, they often take other ways to validate their masculine identities. This study focused on the complex relationship between their academic failure and the formation of their masculinities. Drawing from semi-structured in-depth interviews with six boys who failed grade 11 in 2003 and are currently repeating grade 11 in 2004, the study shows the complex relationship between school failure, and the formation of boys' masculinities in three areas. These areas are the formal academic dimension of schooling, the informal social dimension of schooling and outside school activities. The major fmdings from the interviews indicate that boys construct their masculinity by resisting the demands placed on them in schools and engage in disruptive activities. They find alternate power and prestige in wearing brand name clothes, wearing jewellery, carrying cellular phones, having girlfriends, clubbing, taking drugs and joining gangs. They find school boring and equate academic achievement with being feminine and thus being gay and resist doing school-work. They are thus able to construct their masculinities in ways that are anti-school and anti-authority. The study concludes by suggesting that failing boys at MSS are in trouble and that schools and teachers must be more alert to why failing boys behave in the ways that they do. At MSS it is suggested that the school encourages the development of sport as a way of exposing boys to different ways of being a boy.Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.Bhana, Deevia.2010-11-20T07:33:03Z2010-11-20T07:33:03Z20042004Thesishttp://hdl.handle.net/10413/1833en
collection NDLTD
language en
sources NDLTD
topic School failure.
Masculinity--KwaZulu-Natal.
Indians--Education--KwaZulu-Natal.
Teenage boys--Education--KwaZulu-Natal.
Theses--Education.
spellingShingle School failure.
Masculinity--KwaZulu-Natal.
Indians--Education--KwaZulu-Natal.
Teenage boys--Education--KwaZulu-Natal.
Theses--Education.
Maduray, Manimagalay.
Failing boys : poor achievement and the construction of masculinity of six Indian boys in a secondary school in Chatsworth, Durban.
description This research project investigates the ways in which six Indian boys who have been officially proclaimed failures in grade 11 construct their masculinity in Meadowlands Secondary School, a predominantly Indian technical secondary school in a working class area of Chatsworth. The way in which failing Indian boys construct their masculinity is under-researched in South Africa. When boys are officially declared academic failures by the school, they often take other ways to validate their masculine identities. This study focused on the complex relationship between their academic failure and the formation of their masculinities. Drawing from semi-structured in-depth interviews with six boys who failed grade 11 in 2003 and are currently repeating grade 11 in 2004, the study shows the complex relationship between school failure, and the formation of boys' masculinities in three areas. These areas are the formal academic dimension of schooling, the informal social dimension of schooling and outside school activities. The major fmdings from the interviews indicate that boys construct their masculinity by resisting the demands placed on them in schools and engage in disruptive activities. They find alternate power and prestige in wearing brand name clothes, wearing jewellery, carrying cellular phones, having girlfriends, clubbing, taking drugs and joining gangs. They find school boring and equate academic achievement with being feminine and thus being gay and resist doing school-work. They are thus able to construct their masculinities in ways that are anti-school and anti-authority. The study concludes by suggesting that failing boys at MSS are in trouble and that schools and teachers must be more alert to why failing boys behave in the ways that they do. At MSS it is suggested that the school encourages the development of sport as a way of exposing boys to different ways of being a boy. === Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.
author2 Bhana, Deevia.
author_facet Bhana, Deevia.
Maduray, Manimagalay.
author Maduray, Manimagalay.
author_sort Maduray, Manimagalay.
title Failing boys : poor achievement and the construction of masculinity of six Indian boys in a secondary school in Chatsworth, Durban.
title_short Failing boys : poor achievement and the construction of masculinity of six Indian boys in a secondary school in Chatsworth, Durban.
title_full Failing boys : poor achievement and the construction of masculinity of six Indian boys in a secondary school in Chatsworth, Durban.
title_fullStr Failing boys : poor achievement and the construction of masculinity of six Indian boys in a secondary school in Chatsworth, Durban.
title_full_unstemmed Failing boys : poor achievement and the construction of masculinity of six Indian boys in a secondary school in Chatsworth, Durban.
title_sort failing boys : poor achievement and the construction of masculinity of six indian boys in a secondary school in chatsworth, durban.
publishDate 2010
url http://hdl.handle.net/10413/1833
work_keys_str_mv AT maduraymanimagalay failingboyspoorachievementandtheconstructionofmasculinityofsixindianboysinasecondaryschoolinchatsworthdurban
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