Photographic Representations of Male Teachers in Early Childhood Textbooks

• In Event: Thursday Roundtable Session 4:20 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Race, Culture, and Gender in Early Childhood Spaces (Table 2)

Abstract

This study examined photos of male teachers in college textbooks of early childhood education. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze the data and the three themes were developed: 1) male early childhood educators interact with young children but have little direct physical contact, 2) male educators interact with young children in academic pursuits, and 3) male educators are serious as they interact with young children. Additionally, the percentages indicated few photographs of men in general appear in these textbooks and a slightly smaller percentage contain male teachers portrayed versus family or community members. The findings suggest that teacher educators should carefully select textbooks that support the development of student beliefs about gender equality.

Author

• Mi-Hwa Park, Murray State University