Boys as underachievers in school: This is how they are currently perceived in public and academic discourse. This attribution can be explained against the background of findings, for example, regarding the percentage of boys attending secondary schools or the school-leaving qualifications achieved. The author asks which factors favour a development that is contrary to expectations and successful in terms of education, despite negative framework conditions. On the basis of autobiographical narrative interviews, orientations guiding male adolescents' actions are elaborated.