Could the promotion of literacy through literature be the answer to Black Caribbean male pupils’ underachievement?

My research will investigate Black Caribbean male pupils’ experiences with the literature texts studied at KS4. Black Caribbean male pupils are positioned among the lowest academic performing groups (DfE, 2013) and their persistent underachievement has been a matter of concern for policymakers since the 1950s (Demie and McLean, 2017). The gap in academic achievement of black Caribbean pupils is currently larger than that of any other ethnic group (Demie and McLean, 2017), widening significantly since 2015 and resulting in Black Caribbean pupils falling further behind their peers (Hutchinson, Reader and Akhal, 2020).

As a teacher of English, I have noted the types of stories Black male pupils tend to embrace and those they reject. Could a review of the literature texts studied at KS4 help to address the educational disadvantage and subsequent discriminatory treatment experienced by Black Caribbean male pupils? Studying literature is believed to promote literacy development as it allows access to the wider curriculum, improves self-esteem, and influences future earning potential. Although aspects of the literature texts studied at KS4 are considered timeless and universal, one suggested barrier between Black Caribbean male pupils engaging positively with literature is the notion that the characters are predominantly White male, and White writers are ‘prioritised, elevated and celebrated’ (Eliott et al. 2021, p3). Through the lens of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and narrative inquiry, my research will explore the participants’ masculine and raced experiences with the KS4 literature texts and the ways in which these experiences might influence literacy practices.