Gender Awareness and Gender Equality in Early Years Education: Lecturers’ Perspectives

Abstract

Gender awareness and equality in early years education is a rather well-researched subject internationally; however, few studies have addressed the local context. This paper addresses whether lecturers teaching early years courses within the Malta College of Art Science and Technology (MCAST) are gender aware and if this awareness impacts their pedagogical delivery. By engaging in the process of self-reflection, participants were able to reflect on how dominant gender ideologies affect their performativity of gender and how these ideologies might be passed on to their students. Theoretical perspectives discussing gender performativity and the social acquisition of gender are presented along with studies highlighting the educators’ critical role in recreating and perpetuating gendered dominant discourses or behaviours. The data was collected via dyadic interviews, enabling participants to engage in further discussion and reflective practice. The findings suggest that even though the participants might not have actively engaged in gender awareness reflection or exercises in the past, they were aware of the dominant gender ideologies and, to a certain extent, tried to challenge such notions. However, there seems to be a discrepancy between their students' behaviour in class, their teaching practice and their lived experience.