History is often embedded, explicitly or implicitly, in discourses on contemporary aspects of gender and education, but relatively few scholars engage critically with history as they grapple with current issues. This article posits "historical sensibility" as a means of engaging constructively with the past when scrutinising and working…

Concerns about schoolboy "laddish" anti-learning and/or anti-school cultures are pervasive in current education discourses. Mandates to tackle laddishness frequently assume that there is a common understanding of what laddishness means, and also that teachers will know how to tackle it. This article explores these assumptions, drawing upon data…

"Laddish" attitudes and behaviours are central to current discourses on boys' "underachievement," as they are seen by many people to impede the progress of some boys in school. Whilst the vast majority of concern about "laddishness" has, to date, focused upon boys, according to media reports there are now good reasons to worry about girls.…

Social psychological theories of self-worth protection may contribute important insights for understanding "laddish" behavior (first used to refer to white, working-class and anti-school boys), and self-worth theory may have important implications for strategies designed to increase boys' academic achievement. Outlines Covington's theory of…