| Overall achievement of male students in literacy is a global concern. Girls outperform boys on multiple national and international assessments. Literature shows that effective teaching practices have been proven to increase male students' engagement with literacy; however these teaching practices are not regularly utilized. In a suburban elementary school, the principal formed a research team with four fifth grade teachers to investigate the issue of the gender gap. Following the tenets of action research, the team focused on the issue of male students' engagement with literacy. After problem analysis, the teachers as co-researchers subsequently designed and implemented three separate interventions aimed at enhancing the literacy engagement of boys identified as disengaged. The study addressed three research questions, "how did the selected interventions and instructional strategies impact the male students' engagement in literacy?" "how did participation in the action research project affect the teachers and principal as co-researchers?" and "how did action research affect change?" The team gathered qualitative data: transcriptions of audio taped participant meetings, notes on classroom observations, student engagement checklists, teacher narratives, and the facilitator's journal. The interventions yielded mixed results regarding increases in the identified male students' engagement, however, the action research was an effective process in influencing teachers' and principal's practice, resulting in reflection, experimenting with instructional strategies, and the formation of a collaborative community. |
