The Photographic Portrayal of Males in Early Childhood Textbooks

• In Event: Early Childhood Preservice Teacher Education

Abstract

This study examined images of male educators in college textbooks of early childhood education and care. Data were collected from 10 textbooks, which were published in the United States between 2009 and 2019 marketed for use in university courses. A content analysis was used to analyze the data and the following three themes emerged from the analysis: 1) male educators interact with children but have little physical contact, 2) male educators interact with children in academic pursuits, and 3) male educators are serious as they interact with children. The findings suggest that teacher educators should carefully select textbooks to develop student beliefs about gender equality and to address the issues of gender bias and inequality in teaching materials.

Authors

• Mi-Hwa Park, Murray State University

• Jessica Branch, Murray State University