Bringing the boys back on board

Existing research shows that in South Africa there are reasons for concern regarding the achievements of a large proportion of Grade 6 learners in language learning. The impact of this poor language achievement affects their success rates across learning areas and in higher grades. It has also been found that historically, Grade 6 boys have achieved, and continue to achieve, lower results than their female peers in national language assessments. However, boys¿ language learning in the Intermediate Phase in South African schools is surprisingly under-researched, particularly their writing skills development. This book contributes to understanding Grade 6 boys¿ writing development by providing descriptions of two English Home Language classroom contexts, in two different schools, in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This book argues that there are significant links among three key elements: teacher knowledge, teachers¿ and learners¿ positioning in the writing process, and the quality of the final written product.