Australian boys at risk? The new vocational agendas in schooling

Abstract

This chapter examines the well-popularised and increasingly popular claims that boys are at risk in the mid-1990s. It argues that while there are grains of truth in such claims, they are also simplistic and unhelpful for educational policy makers and teachers. The case is made for a more nuanced understanding of gender and risk in the context of widespread social change. This argument is advanced with particular reference to vocational education policies for schools. We begin the chapter with a discussion of changing times and their implications for policy with particular reference to vocational education and gender reform policies. Next we explore the concept of risk as it has been applied ..