Developmental Equity in Finnish Education: A Critical Review of Richard Reeves' Proposal for Redshirting

Underachievement among boys is a persistent educational issue in many countries. Richard Reeves (2022) argued that this stems from differences in developmental timing between boys and girls, and proposed "Redshirting," a policy of delaying boys' primary school entry by one year. This thesis is a critical literature review examining Redshirting within the institutional and ideological context of Finnish education. First, Reeves' argument is examined and critically evaluated from the perspectives of developmental science and educational policy research, clarifying its validity and limitations. Furthermore, its consistency with the ideals of Gender Equality, Educational Equity, and Universalism, which are emphasised in Finnish education, is analysed, and the possibilities and challenges of Redshirting as a policy addressing the educational difficulties faced by boys are considered. The literature review revealed that while developmental science studies suggest average developmental differences between boys and girls at school entry, individual differences within the boy population were shown to be greater than the average gender difference. Additionally, from the perspective of Universalism in Finnish education, the policy of uniformly delaying boys' entry by one year was suggested to create a tension with the underlying ideals. On the other hand, supporting children who require developmental support at the time of school entry from the perspective of Educational Equity is considered a more idealistic approach. This thesis reinterprets Reeves' proposal through the lens of Developmental Equity. It proposes building a learning environment in which each child can fully demonstrate their abilities, based on the premise of diverse development.