This multi-case ethnographic study examined the gender beliefs of two teachers and 12 parents and the gender identity of thirty 8- to 10- year-old boys in two primary schools in Jamaica. The study was conducted against the background of gross underachievement among Jamaican boys and the research literature pointing to gender socialization as a factor in the declining results and interest in academic studies. Through 10 weeks of observations, interviews and focus group discussions, answers were sought for the following questions: 
1. What beliefs do teachers hold about gender?