Boys, academic achievement and ‘Crisis’ talk: analysing pseudo-expert discourses in the construction of boyhood

Education in the twenty-first Century has been framed by a persistent crisis narrative concerning male underachievement. In response, educators have trialled various solutions-oriented approaches often leaning on a privatized industry of pseudo-experts who offer broad solutions to improve boys’ academic performance and well-being. Despite their prevalence, little thorough investigation has been conducted into the practices and messages promoted by these consultants. This paper presents a singular case study of the persuasive techniques used by one self-described male expert in boyhood and academic achievement. Using Thematic Analysis (TA) and Feminist Post-Structural Discourse Analysis (FPDA), we identify dominant, competing, and oppositional discourses he posits, illustrating how gender norms are constructed and reinforced within educational spaces, shaping boys’ lived experiences and delimiting the possibilities for their identities and opportunities.