Marginalization of the male, especially the adolescent male, is a topical issue. At times, it seems almost an excuse for high school dropouts, street corner dwellers, organized gangs and others who fall outside the system. Not much attention, however, is paid to the marginalization of the female, mainly because they are marginalized within the system. And even when they are rejected by the system, they remain invisible.

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? 

Literacy acquisition and development among primary-age children is a main focus of inquiry and research for different institutions and organizations in the Caribbean. In Jamaica, educational bodies such as the School of Education, University of the West Indies, and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture (MOEYC), have implemented literacy projects like the Language Materials Workshop (LMW), the New Horizon Project, the Jamaica All-Age School Project, and UNICEF-Jamaica Literacy through Literature in Zone 40, Clarendon (Webster and Walters 1998).