Girls, boys and school achievement: critical comments on who achieves in schools and under what economic and social conditions achievement takes place — a Caribbean perspective

This paper reports findings from a large-scale research project exploring female attainment and male underachievement in representative samples of students from the islands of Barbados and St Vincent. It also reports findings from case studies of secondary classrooms in various stratified schools in Trinidad. The paper will show that simplistic gender-based, matrilineal and male marginal explanations are not adequate explanations for school attainment. A more adequate explanation requires a complex methodological approach which draws upon quantitative and qualitative studies and the ability to integrate school-based, cultural and home factors. The indications are that, generally, girls attained at higher levels than boys, but this is qualified by type of school attended, pre-school attendance, with whom the student lives, and occupations of mother and father.