ERIC Number: EJ1318479
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1090-1027
EISSN: N/A
"I 'Am' the Teacher": How Male Educators Conceptualize Their Impact on the Early Childhood Classroom
Reich-Shapiro, Mindi; Cole, Kirsten; Plaisir, Jean Yves
Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, v42 n4 p381-403 2021
According to recent statistics, fewer than 3% of early childhood educators are self-identified men. Thus, at a time when young children are constructing their identities and exploring gender roles and boundaries, opportunities for them to engage in authentic and meaningful learning experiences with both male and female teachers are scarce. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how self-identified male educators construct non-normative masculinities as they fulfill their roles with young children within early childhood education (ECE) environments. To achieve this objective, we draw upon the voices of men in the field to highlight their motivations and shed light on the challenges of their lived experience in the field of ECE. We use data from questionnaires, interviews, focus groups and classroom observations from a much larger research project that uncovered intrinsic and extrinsic factors influencing men's decisions to join the ECE workforce. Overall, the men in our study view their involvement in ECE as an opportunity to support children's social and emotional development as they also push back on stereotypes about men in this sector. Our findings have implications for national and international practices and policies that envision the recruitment, support and retention of men as a key strategy for building and normalizing a mixed gender workforce in ECE while also enhancing opportunities for young children and their families to engage in meaningful and positive gender experiences with both female and male educators.
Descriptors: Males, Preschool Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Early Childhood Education, Self Concept, Sex Role, Masculinity, Teacher Student Relationship, Decision Making, Career Choice, Social Emotional Learning, Sex Stereotypes, Gender Differences, Teacher Characteristics, Administrator Attitudes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New York (New York)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A