Men In Early Childhood Education Research Articles

Parents’ views on gay male teachers in early childhood education

ABSTRACT The stigma surrounding men’s sexuality in Early Childhood Education (ECE) is complex and part of a sexuality hierarchy within which homophobic, emasculating and disparaging undertones are often used to label male teachers in ECE as gay. In this paper the authors demonstrate the complex and gendered ways in which this stigma unfolds in a South African context and offer a decolonising gender perspective to highlight how the country’s socio-political context impacts on how parents respond to gay men in ECE. The parents in this study expressed tolerance and acceptance of gay men’s involvement in ECE. Notwithstanding, these diverse views, many parents’ tolerance and acceptance of gay men in ECE was found to be powerfully structured along a discriminatory heterosexist culture. Despite this, some parent’s acceptance of gay male teachers in ECE were underpinned by gender-progressive attitudes to focus on curtailing gender discrimination and promoting gender diversity and inclusivity at school.

How women educators frame the scarcity of men in early childhood education and care

ABSTRACT Early childhood education and care (ECEC) is one of the most highly sex-segregated sectors globally. Adopting frame analysis and drawing on 96 semi-structured interviews, this study asks how female educators, who are numerically dominant, discursively construct men’s reluctance to seek roles in ECEC and/or sustain participation in the sector. Three primary frames were identified: men are viewed with suspicion; men lack the capacities required for ECEC work; and ECEC does not deliver on men’s career aspirations. The findings advance knowledge of how female educators make sense of socially constructed norms and expectations and the workforce and workplace dynamics that impact the recruitment and retention of men in early childhood settings. The study facilitates a deeper understanding of gendered phenomena in a highly feminized education context and informs structural and workplace initiatives which may contribute to a more gender-equitable ECEC workforce.

Critically Discuss the Policy and Research Evidence Which Examines the Role of Men in Early Childhood Education and Care

Attracting more men to balance the predominantly female workforce is one of the key issues facing the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector. This research critically discusses the main debates regarding the issue of gendered ECEC sector, including the core concepts of childhood, masculinity and ECEC, followed by the debates about the influences of more male practitioners on both children and ECEC workforce. Although there exist some arguments against the hypothesis about men’s benefits on children and ECEC workforce, the need to get men involved in the lives of young children is reflected by government policies across different countries, such as recruitment and retention initiatives for male preschool teachers. However, most of these strategies to remove the barriers male teachers encountered, and to incorporate men and fathers, received negative results. Therefore, by building upon the need to enhance the holistic quality of ECEC workforce, new perspectives, especially from children’s perceptions, on how to change the gender imbalance in ECEC are recommended, including both the top-down policy and bottom-up strategy.

Men times ten: does the presence of more men support inclusion of male educators in early childhood education and care?

ABSTRACT Retention rates for men in early childhood education and care (ECEC) are low. Exit is associated with experience of feeling ‘other’ perpetuated by judgements of men’s sexuality, motives, and ability. In this paper, we take the unique circumstance of many men working together in ECEC to ask whether more men on staff improves experiences of inclusion. We analyse interviews with 10 men working in two Australian ECEC centres in which male educators comprise >20%, of the staff; ten times the international representation of men in the ECEC workforce. Our data identify a developmental process in which supports and mentorship, from female and male colleagues, are critical to retention early in career. Beyond, the building of a distinct male contribution underpins continuing career engagement. However, with the presence of more men new tensions emerge as the ‘alien invader’ becomes the face of the centre, potentially eclipsing the contribution of female colleagues.

Men in early childhood education and care: on navigating a gendered terrain

ABSTRACT Globally, the underrepresentation of men in the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) workforce is ongoing and has been largely attributed to the construction of ECEC as ‘women’s work’. Men’s involvement in ECEC can help to deconstruct the feminisation of work and the gender binaries through which occupations are structured. Further to this, there is a need to dismantle reinforced gendered ideologies that work towards interrogating rather than supporting the presence of men in ECEC. This paper draws on selected findings from an international research project investigating men’s involvement in ECEC. It uncovers how a group of men navigate themselves within a highly gendered ECEC terrain from which they sometimes ‘dropout’. Providing nuanced understandings of how men negotiate their positions in ECEC can inform intervention strategies to increase and support men’s participation in ECEC in more progressive and gender-sensitive ways.

Docência masculina na Educação Infantil: percepções de pedagogos egressos do curso de Licenciatura em Pedagogia da Universidade Federal do Amazonas

É perceptível que o corpo docente da Educação Infantil, no Brasil, é composto – em sua maioria – por profissionais do gênero feminino. A partir dessa premissa, o presente trabalho tem por objetivo identificar e analisar os desafios e as possibilidades encontradas pelos egressos do gênero masculino do curso de Licenciatura em Pedagogia da Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM) em sua inserção no campo profissional em relação à docência na Educação Infantil. Para atingir os objetivos propostos, buscamos utilizar a pesquisa bibliográfica, a pesquisa documental e de campo, de caráter exploratório e de cunho qualitativo. Ela contou com uma amostra de doze alunos egressos, na qual se observou o reconhecimento do papel dos homens na Educação Infantil por parte dos mesmos, porém, devido à falta de oportunidades, com forte predomínio do preconceito, a atuação profissional de homens nessa etapa tem sido mínima. Mesmo não havendo leis específicas que garantam que apenas mulheres tenham prioridade em lecionar na Educação Infantil, nos processos seletivos observa-se a preferência por elas. Portanto, as percepções dos egressos do curso de Pedagogia convergem para o fato de que eles tiveram dificuldade na inserção no campo profissional, fazendo com que muitos nem tentem atuar, em função da cultura construída, que mescla preconceito e desconfiança e reforça a naturalização do papel profissional feminino nessa etapa da Educação Básica.

Docência na Educação Infantil: tecendo reflexões sobre gênero, masculinidade e formação de professores/as

As realidades da Educação Infantil no Brasil e em outros países revelam a reduzida procura dos homens para atuarem como docentes nessa etapa da Educação Básica. Talvez decorra daí o fato de também serem escassas as pesquisas que envolvem a docência masculina nesse âmbito. Nesse contexto, este estudo, fruto de experiências de pesquisas e de vivências educativas com crianças pequenas, tem por objetivo refletir sobre a participação dos homens na função de docentes na Educação Infantil, tomando por referência as categorias de gênero e masculinidades, a formação de professores/as no curso de Pedagogia de uma universidade pública de Campina Grande-PB e a experiência de um dos autores com crianças de 4 e 5 anos de idade. Teoricamente, o trabalho está subsidiado por pesquisas relativas à questão de gênero, masculinidades, infâncias e formação de professores/as. Partindo dos relatos de algumas experiências e articulando-as à teoria pertinente, o debate das ideias contidas neste texto enseja reflexões teóricas e formas de agir visando superar atitudes discriminatórias a respeito da docência de homens na Educação Infantil.

O homem-professor na Educação Infantil e a produção da profissionalidade

Neste artigo, a partir da proposição de uma lei que limita a atuação de homens na Educação Infantil no Estado de São Paulo, problematizamos a figura do homem-professor nesta etapa da educação. Sustentados nos Estudos de Gênero, de vertente pós-estruturalista, nos cabe considerar que nossas instituições educativas são atravessadas por scripts de gênero que dimensionam nosso olhar e conduzem a conduta dos sujeitos. Este texto foi produzido através do diálogo entre duas pesquisas produzidas em momentos distintos (BELLO, 2006; ZANETTE, 2018), mas que tinham como corpus a primeira etapa da Educação básica. As metodologias utilizadas foram a observação participante em uma turma da Educação Infantil e grupos focais com docentes, respectivamente. Depreendeu-se deste diálogo que o estranhamento da presença do homem-professor na Educação Infantil é ratificado pelo pânico moral que vêm se produzindo ao longo do tempo. Pânico este que traduz o sujeito masculino como portador de uma sexualidade incontrolável, consequentemente, perigosa. Contudo, percebe-se que estes obstáculos podem ser encarados como elementos que contribuem para a constituição de uma profissionalidade masculina que atua junto a diferentes instituições com crianças.

Homens e crianças: corpos e sexualidades no meio aquático

Este artigo se propõe a resgatar o debate sobre homens na educação infantil, problematizando questões de gênero e sexualidade de corpos de crianças no contato de aprendizagem com homens adultos, em meio aquático. Para tanto, assenta-se numa etnografia, realizada em aulas para bebês e crianças numa academia de natação, a fim de tensionar ideias e preconceitos instituídos nos discursos sobre sexo, gênero e sexualidade. Concluiu-se que operam marcadores sexuais e de gênero e que, quanto mais as crianças avançam na aprendizagem das técnicas de nado, mais os temas relativos ao corpo sexual se tornam tabus para adultos envoltos neste processo.

Narratives about the insertion of male teachers in the early childhood education

Based on the theoretical and methodological assumptions of Oral History and Gender as an analytical category, this article analyzes the insertion of male teachers in Early Childhood Education. Two physical education teachers and two directors of the private school system participated in this study. From the memories of the deponents it was possible to perceive that the presence of men in Early Childhood Education was legitimized by the 'need' of a masculine reference for the children. Despite this, the deponents reported that they had their sexuality put under suspicion, after all, they would be breaking gender norms for the male gender.

A man in the centre: inclusion and contribution of male educators in early childhood education and care teaching teams

ABSTRACTPressure on labour-supply has rekindled concern about the low participation of men in early childhood education and care (ECEC) and public debate about the ‘appropriateness’ and ‘value’ of male educators in these settings. We examined this issue from the perspective of all staff (N = 23), in two Australian ECEC centres employing a male educator. A diversity lens framed analysis, providing a contemporary and inclusive account of male educators as members of the teaching team rather than as gender-anomalies in the workforce. Staff identified male educators as assets with their value extending beyond symbolic salience as men in a feminized workplace. Men’s pedagogical contribution was described as related to employment role, not gender identity. Distinct benefits to productivity and relationships were reported. From the perspective of those inside gender diversity enhanced workplace (relationships) and work productivity (quality); low participation of men presents an opportunity-cost that extends beyond simply increasing the workforce pool.

An exploratory study of gender and male teachers in early childhood education and care centres in China

This paper explores the impact of gender on the employment of men in early childhood education and care (ECEC) centres through the voices of male and female early childhood teachers (ECTs) working in China. Gender imbalance in the ECEC workforce is a global phenomenon, and there has been little research about it in countries such as China. This study was based on online interviews with 16 ECTs from three major cities in China. Findings indicated that ECTs’ perceptions conformed largely with traditional gender stereotypes in Chinese culture. Western expectations that men’s participation in ECEC could challenge traditional gender stereotypes and promote gender diversity were not reflected in either Chinese academic literature reviewed or the participants’ views captured in this research. The appreciation of masculinity in Chinese culture and implied disadvantages are considered within a global context of empowering women and girls.

The “Othering” of Men in Early Childhood Education: Applying Covey’s Seven Habits


 
 
 How do early childhood educators, parents, and administrators really feel about men working with young children? Should men work as teachers of young children from birth through 8 years of age? Is this women’s work? Does explicitly and implicitly excluding men from the early childhood education workforce benefit the early childhood community’s commitment to diversity? Young children should have a diverse range of experiences including learning from men in their early childhood education settings (Bullough, 2015). In order to effectively recruit and retain more men into the early childhood education profession, early childhood education staff, parents, and administrators have to address their overt and covert “othering” biases toward men working in early childhood education environments.
 
 

Doing gender and professionalism: Exploring the intersectionalities of gender and professionalization in early childhood education

Men in early childhood education (ECE) are subjected to different discourses: while they are facing serious mistrust on the one hand, their otherness to the field is also interpreted as new and potentially innovative on the other hand. This article explores how male childcare workers create and take up different subject positions by drawing on these competing discourses in order to acquire a legitimate position as men in the female-dominated context of Swiss day-care centers. In constructing themselves as professionals they create a subject position that seems to move beyond the gender binary. Analysing the position of the professional in depth, the article first shows how this position is accomplished and then explores how gender unfolds between the lines by infusing professionalism with masculinity.

Preschool Teachers and the Discourse of Suspicion

This article addresses the social construction of gender in a preschool context. The data are from ethnographic participant observation in a Montessori preschool and interviews with its preschool teachers. I identify a discourse of suspicion surrounding male preschool teachers preconstructing them as threats. The dimensions of the discourse of suspicion in early childhood education characterize male preschool teachers as pedophiles, homosexual, effeminate, and/or violent. I also identify several strategies preschool teachers use to minimize suspicion. Minimizing suspicion is a discursive and self-presentation strategy with the goal of avoiding and/or limiting suspicion. This article suggests shifting the focus from the dearth of men in early childhood education to the underlying tensions at the intersection of the social construction of gender and early childhood education.

‘Build me a male role model!’ A critical exploration of the perceived qualities/characteristics of men in the early years (0–8) in England

Young boys' ‘underachievement’ and their disaffection with learning continue to dominate education agendas [Francis, B. 2006. “Stop That Sex Drive.” Times Educational Supplement 30; Peeters, J. 2007. “Including Men in Early Childhood Education: Insights from the European Experience.” NZ Research in Early Childhood Education, 10. Accessed February 4, 2013. http://stop4-7.be/files/janpeeters10.pdf; Lloyd, T. 2009. Boys’ Underachievement: What Schools Think and Do. A University of Ulster Research Project Funded by the Department of Education and Northern Ireland Office. November. Accessed January 10, 2014. http://www.socsci.ulster.ac.uk/sociology/research/y%20publications/Boys%20underachievement.pdf; Lloyd, T. 2011. Boys’ Underachievement in Schools: Literature Review. Boys Development Project. Belfast: Centre for Young Men's Studies, Ulster University. Accessed February 4, 2013. http://www.boysdevelopmentproject.org.uk/downloads/reports/Boys%20and%20underachievement%20literature%20review%20edited%20in%20pdf.pdf]. In recent years, there has been an eruption of government policy making and public discourse in England [Moran, L. 2011. Quarter of All Primary Schools Have No Male Teachers Despite More Men Entering Profession. Daily Mail, September 2. Accessed February 4, 2013. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2032970/Quarter-primary-schools-NO-male-teachers-despite-men-entering-profession.html#ixzz2JwpQjSL8; DfE (Department for Education). 2012b. Poor White Boys ‘Lagging Behind Classmates at Age Five’. The Telegraph, November 21. Accessed January 10, 2014. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/9693409/Poor-white-boys-lagging-behind-classmates-at-age-five.html; PARITY. 2013. Is Action Overdue on Boys’ Academic Underachievement? Briefing Paper, March. Accessed January 10, 2014. http://www.parity-uk.org/Briefing/BoysEducPaperRev1b.pdf] calling for more men to transform young lives by working in the 0–8 sector and acting as male role models in an attempt to narrow the ‘attainment gap’. This paper critically explores the perceived qualities/characteristics of men who seemingly serve as ‘male role models’ by reporting on select doctoral research findings which sought to investigate the ambiguities of the male role model from the perspective of men who work in the 0–8 sector. Research participants were asked to identify the qualities/characteristics that they felt ‘male role models’ should exhibit for young boys in the early years (0–8). The qualities/characteristics identified were categorised by research participants as being ‘masculine’ (e.g. diplomatic), ‘feminine’ (e.g. caring) or ‘natural’ (meaning authentic). Whilst research evidence suggests that male role models will present a diverse range of personal and professional qualities/characteristics, it is argued that these are likely to be shaped by not only the needs and circumstances of the children that the ‘male role model’ comes into contact with, but also the expectations of others, e.g. parents/carers and staff. This paper argues that there is a real tension between those qualities/characteristics of the male role model that are created as a result of their personality/individual beliefs and those which are anticipated or enforced by others.

Men and women in outdoor play – changing the concepts of caring findings from Norwegian and Austrian research projects

ABSTRACT In many countries there are very few men in professional care for young children. In this paper we will focus on the different perspectives of male and female workers to outdoor play and discuss the role of outdoor activities in recruiting more men to pre‐schools. The article is based on research in Norway and Austria. The results draw the conclusion that men with the opportunity to stay outdoors feel more freedom to work with children in their own way, without the tradition of caring in a ‘mother's home’. We suggest that enhancing the outdoor‐sector within the concept of childcare would increase the number of men in early childhood education and care. RÉSUMÉ: Dans de nombreux pays, peu d'hommes travaillent dans les services d’accueil de la petite enfance. Dans cet article, nous nous centrerons sur les différents points de vue d'hommes et de femmes travaillant dans des structures de jeu en plein air, et nous discuterons du rôle des activités à l'extérieur pour recruter davantage d'hommes dans le préscolaire. L'article s'appuie sur une recherche menée en Norvège et en Autriche. Les résultats conduisent à la conclusion que les hommes ayant l'occasion de rester dehors se sentent plus libres pour travailler avec les enfants, sans la tradition de l'accueil dans une “maison maternelle”. Nous suggérons que mettre en avant le secteur du plein air dans l'accueil de la petite enfance pourrait accroître le nombre d'hommes dans le préscolaire. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: In vielen Ländern gibt es sehr wenige Männer in der professionellen Kinderbetreuung. Dieser Beitrag befasst sich mit den unterschiedlichen Perspektiven von Männern und Frauen in Bezug auf Spiel im Freien und diskutiert die Rolle von Outdoor‐Aktivitäten in der Anwerbung von mehr Männern in Vorschuleinrichtungen. Der Artikel basiert auf Forschung in Norwegen und Österreich. Die Ergebnisse führen zur Schlussfolgerung, dass Männer mit Gelegenheit im Freien zu arbeiten, mehr Freiheit empfinden mit Kindern auf ihre eigene Art zu arbeiten, ohne die Tradition ‘der mütterlichen Betreuung zu Hause’. Wir schließen, dass die Erhöhung der Bedeutung des Spiels im Freien innerhalb des Konzepts der Kinderbetreuung die Zahl der Männer in der frühkindlichen Erziehung und Betreuung steigern könnte. RESUMEN: En muchos países hay muy pocos hombres en el cuidado profesional para los niños pequeños. En éste artículos queremos focalizar las diferentes perspectivas femininas y masculinas del juego al aire libre y discutir el papel de las actividades al aire libre para el reclutamiento de más varones a la preescuela. El artículo se basa en investigaciones en Noruega y Austria. Los resultados muestran que los varones con oportunidades de trabajar al aire libre sienten mayor libertad de trabajar de manera propia, sin la tradición del cuidado ‘maternal del hogar’. Sugerimos que enfatizar el trabajo al aire libre dentro del cuidado de los niños podría aumentar el número de varones en el cuidado y la educación preescolar.

Briefing Paper: Men in Early Childhood Education

Male participation in the early childhood education (ECE) workforce in Aotearoa New Zealand is minimal. This concise briefing paper to the Minister of Education (which was part of a third year course assignment) discusses the advantages and disadvantages of increasing the number of male early childhood educators and addresses whether specific government intervention would be beneficial.

The Gendering of Men in Early Childhood Education

In-depth interviews with men who work with young children as well as other key personnel in early childhood education (ECE) were analyzed using Acker’s (1990) theory of gendered organizations along with Connell’s (1987) typology of masculinities. The conclusion reached is that ECE is indeed gendered in terms of the symbols in frequent use, the differential structural location of women and men, the internal mental work of individuals, and the interactions among individuals. In addition, instead of performing a complicit masculinity and enjoying some of the perquisites and privileges of hegemonic men, as other researchers have suggested, this project demonstrates that the men are attempting to live subordinate masculinities that could challenge traditional gender relations. Their attempts are, however, thwarted by the gender regime embedded in the occupational structure.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Men Caught in the Gender Bind of Early Childhood Education

This paper presents the results of a series of in-depth interviews with men who work in early childhood education (ECE), their women peers, their supervisors, and faculty members of colleges of education. The findings cast considerable doubt on the prevailing idea that men are “high status tokens” in ECE. In addition, the narratives of all involved give clear indication that repairing the low participation of men in ECE will require changes in deeply entrenched institutional practices rather than in the perspectives or behaviors of individual men.