An earlier study of gendered achievement at the UWI School of Medicine at St. Augustine suggested that most differentials were negligible to small at the preclinical stage and small to moderate at the clinical stage (De Lisle and Pit-Miller 2002). One explanation for these small gender differences was that the stringent selection processes created sample restriction. In 2003, changes were made to the assessment scheme in the biomedical sciences, with the elimination of a number of formats.

This paper seeks to analyse the validity of the Common Entrance Examination in modern times using qualitative analysis conducted through the lens of human capital and postcolonial theories in the light of male underachievement. This is achieved by highlighting the disparities between genders in achievement and placement in secondary schools based on the Common Entrance Examination.Results indicate that the Common Entrance Examination in Barbados appears to lack validity within the context of the twenty-first century and the issue of male underachievement.

This study explored male perspectives of their educational experiences in the Trinidad and Tobago school system. It examined key push factors responsible for leading males away from pursuing higher education as well as factors responsible for male underachievement at the post-secondary and tertiary levels. This qualitative study utilized six focus groups comprising 56 participants from private and public post-secondary and tertiary institutions located in largely North-East, Central and South Trinidad.