The Identities and Practices of High Achieving Pupils

While many education studies examine the relationship between under achievement and peer popularity in school, Pearson (education and social justice, King's College London), Skelton (gender equality in education, U. of Birmingham), and Read's (education, U. of Roehampton) study analyzes the experiences of high-achieving pupils. Their research explores the identities of high-achievers, with a focus on gender and the ways that the social constructions of gender and the pupils' gender subjectivities relate to their scholastic achievement. The authors consider three subgroups--high-achievers who maintain strong popularity in the classroom, those who are less popular but not directly stigmatized for their achievement, and those viewed by their classmates as "boffins" or "geeks"--and discuss the implications of their findings for education policy and practice. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Becky Francis is Director of Education at the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), UK, and Visiting Professor at King's College London, UK, and at Roehampton University, UK. Christine Skelton is Professor of Gender Equality in Education at University of Birmingham, UK. Barbara Read is Senior Lecturer at the Department of Education, Roehampton University, UK.