The second part in this series exploring male underachievement in Jamaica outlined an understanding of the role of socialisation in seeking to explain the reasons behind this phenomenon. Part Three seeks to assess the nature of male engagement in education in Jamaica, based on the tenets of learning theory.

According to a 2017 study by Corbin, it has become widely accepted that male learning styles are different. Males tend to be more engaged in an hands-on approach. Sun, in a 2016 study, states that learning involves the “behavioral, emotional and cognitive domains” being engaged in academic activities. However, due to “male disengagement”, there is a lack of involvement and commitment to school activities and the curriculum. Additionally, the lack of creativity and practical opportunities across the board is evident and is of great concern.

It is usually assumed that male teachers’ paucity in schools accounts for the low number of male matriculation to tertiary education as there are few role models. Professor Errol Miller, in his 1988 research, proposed statistical data that expanded on this belief. Many of the schools in Jamaica were formed by Christian denominations and were led by male leaders; many of the schools in Jamaica also had an overwhelming number of males compared to their female counterparts. However, based on the statistical data presented by Miller, there seems to have been a significant decrease in the number of males in schools.

Based on statistics extracted from the annual reports of the Department and Ministry of Education from 1872 to 1985, there was an increase in both males and females as teachers in the elementary school system. However, there were more male teachers present from 1872 to 1899. This changed in 1951 as more female teachers were present in elementary schools. The data shows that in 1951 the percentage of female and male teachers in elementary schools was 79.1 per cent and 20.9 per cent, respectively.

In his analysis, Miller tracked the number of male students at The University of the West Indies (UWI). The data reveals that, after 1975-1976, there has been a decrease in the number of male students at the university. This decrease in the number of males is further corroborated by Thompson (2017), who presented data for the decade 1982 to 1992 showing that the male to female ratio of The UWI graduates in Jamaica fell from an 8:2 male to female ratio, to 70 per cent of graduates being female. Similar declines of male presence in universities are also shown for other tertiary institutions. The implication of this decline is obvious. If fewer males are attending and graduating tertiary institutions, fewer males will be competent for higher level jobs and leadership positions.

Additionally, Miller (1988) pointed out that the matriarchal familial structure likely has some bearing on the attitudes of young men in early life, and thus later in adulthood. The reasoning here is that if women are seen in a more ‘managerial’ capacity from in the family, ideas of this position being a more female role in life may be seeded in men, whether consciously or subconsciously. This affects the engagement of males in other spheres later in life.

These data would seem to create a narrative that females are simply outperforming males, but are they really?

In my 2020 analysis of focus group and interview responses of young males, I identified three sets of factors which cause male disengagement in tertiary institutions and managerial positions. Primary factors, caused by the action of the person affected, included wrong priorities, a lack of motivation and secondary level underperformance. Secondary factors, caused by the action of the individuals who were not affected, comprised peer pressure and community violence, socialisation, a demotivating head of the household and being outperformed by females. The tertiary factors, which result from entities other than those from primary and secondary factors, encompassed a lack of interest, involvement in illegal activities, exploring multiple streams of income, having a low confidence level, and not being the best fit for the job.

The issue of male engagement was also addressed by Gayle and Bryan (2019) in their study on males in the tertiary education system. Using a model that assessed the determinants of optimal performance of students at The UWI, Mona Campus as needing to have consistent economic and emotional support to remain focused on schoolwork, they found that “these situations were unfavourable to males and favourable to females in Jamaica due to cultural practices”. This corroborated the widely-held view that males were generally being neglected in these respects in the pursuit of tertiary education.

In attempting to fix the problem, I gleaned that a majority of the respondents believed that the addition of training programmes and curricula geared toward creative and entertainment industries would assist. Amendments to the schooling systems to facilitate the entry of older males was also cited, as well as academic improvement measures such as academic counseling and extra lessons for males who fall behind.

Managers and university students believe that there needs to be a change in how lessons are planned and delivered to cater to Jamaican young men. Consideration must be given to the types of learners, whether tactile, auditory, visual, etc. There also needs to be the implementation of more technical areas so that males are not lost along the way. All-boys’ schools were identified as a possible way of attacking the problem.

Part four of this series will explore the role and current extent of motivation in incentivising males to pursue tertiary education.

Dr Jacqueline Coke-Lloyd is a transformational leader and managing director of MYM Group Limited. She is a people, organisational, and middle manager development professional, as well as founder of Young Entrepreneurs Association. Coke is a national productivity ambassador, speaker, author, and adjunct professor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or jackiecokelloyd@gmail.com.