'Square-girls', Femininity and the Negotiation of Academic Success in the Primary School

Abstract

Recent achievement debates in both the media and academic press have focused predominately on the apparent underachievement of boys. The relative 'high achievement' of girls has often been perceived as unproblematic and thus neglected, or achieved at the expense of boys. This article redresses the balance by redirecting the research focus to the processes and experiences of girls' academic achievements, particularly the intersection of and relationship between academic success and the construction of femininity. Drawing on data from an ethnographic study of two primary schools, the article traces the stories of four girls who were subordinately positioned as 'square' for their rejection of dominant modes of femininity and visible status as high academic achievers. Their experiences illuminate a broader debate on the fear and negativity associated with academic success and the contradiction of being 'clever' with being 'feminine'.