Belief that girls do better at school may hinder boys' performance, says study

The University of Kent study also found that, by the age of eight, boys also believe that girls are more likely to have the "right qualities to do well at school".

The research – which involved questioning 238 children at two primary schools in Kent – also showed that children of both sexes think adults believe girls do better at school than boys.

The study concluded that such attitudes could amount to a "self-fulfilling prophecy" in which girls are perceived as performing better, do subsequently perform better, "and then expectations as to girls’ future performance are heightened".

Bonny Hartley, postgraduate researcher at the University of Kent, said the research findings highlighted the difficulties teachers face in trying to improve the performance of boys.

She added: "There are signs that these expectations have the potential to become self-fulfilling in influencing children’s actual conduct and achievement."