Cars and girls: why boys fail

By Ken Lewis

Having a girlfriend, owning a car and holding an after-school job can seriously affect how well a boy does at school, a survey by Whangarei Boys' High School indicates.

The same research found that hours spent in front of the television made little difference to a boy's academic progress.

Principal Murray Lints said the school had been concerned about underachievement in boys' education, but could find no suitable research on the subject.

The survey of 660 students across all forms last year was done in conjunction with Unitec in Auckland and is apparently the first of its type in the world.

The effects of single-sex education for girls is well documented.

The study confirmed many suspicions on causes of underachieve-ment, but also revealed some surprises.

There seemed no appreciable difference in achievement between boys who watched 17 hours or more of television a week and those who watched less.

However, the survey confirmed suspicions of a strong correlation between car ownership, after-school work and girlfriends.

While 19 per cent of senior students (year 11 to 13) owned cars, 31 per cent of senior underachievers owned them.

Students with after-school jobs were far more likely to be under-achievers, whereas students with weekend jobs were marginally more likely to be achievers.

Mr Lints suspected that for many boys employment was the first step towards buying a car, which then enhanced their chances of a girlfriend.

One in two underachievers had a girlfriend against one in three achievers.

Mr Lints said the impact of these out-of-school activities on homework could not be underestimated.

Car ownership, employment and a steady girlfriend had no detrimental effect on students in the final year of school, year 13.