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Policy Brief 2(17): Addressing the gender gap in primary children's writing
The so-called ‘gender gap’ in children’s writing attainment (girls performing better than boys) has been a long-standing concern in education policy. This policy briefing discusses this issue, with a focus on what represents ‘good’ writing – and how perceptions of ‘good’ differ between children, teachers and other education stakeholders. Using research from a case study in Liverpool City Region, the authors find children place more emphasis on the technical aspects of their writing such as spelling, while teachers are more concerned with creativity, engaging readers and competent use of vocabulary, grammar and punctuation. While there are some differences in how boys and girls experience, enjoy and learn about writing, this briefing identifies a series of recommendations for education policymakers that would potentially improve writing outcomes for all children.
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