It Starts Early. Let's Start Now: Gender and Language During Book-sharing in Early Childhood Classrooms

• In Event: Poster Session 09
  In Poster Session: PS 09 Topic - Sex, Gender

Abstract

Gender socialization begins before birth, even in western industrialized nations with long histories of gender equity policy reforms, and modern social movements. The internalization of gender identity and values occurs early: typically, by age three, children have developed gender schemas, can identify their own and others’ genders, and show preference for same-gender playmates and gender-stereotypical toys (Katz & Kofkin, 1997). This makes toddlerhood - when first receptive, then expressive, language skills are accelerating rapidly – a developmentally salient period for thoughtful verbal representation of gender equity from an anti-bias education perspective (see Bigler & Leaper, 2015 ). As key socialization agents, early childhood educators’ (ECE) use of gendered language in the classroom (Hilliard & Liben, 2010) may offer children information that expands, reifies, or challenges young children’s gender-coded biases and judgments (Bigler & Liben, 2006). However, there is little literature investigating the ECE’s typical application of gendered language, including gendered pronouns. Research centering ECEs in situ could illuminate the degree to which they provide equitable gender representation during this developmental period of a growing sensitivity to gendered language.

Study Aims
In considering the ECEs’ use of gendered language, the current study aims to: 1) explore whether and how ECEs assign gender in response to intangible non-human animal stimuli when sharing (nearly) wordless books with infants and toddlers in the classroom, and 2) examine intra-individual stability in gender assignments across two different books, and over multiple book-sharing sessions.

Methods
Participants include 58 ECEs (100% female; 41.4% Black, 10.3% American Indian/Alaska Native, 60.3% White, 1.7% Other, (total exceeds 100% as participants were invited to select more than one racial category); 8.6% Hispanic) from classrooms from two different urban and semi-urban communities in a midwestern state in the US.
At three separate times, ECEs were asked to share with children two nearly wordless books, “Good night, Gorilla” and “Fly, Little Bird”; both feature gender-neutral non-human animal characters, in addition to gendered human characters. Book-sharing interactions were video recorded and transcribed verbatim. Via content analysis (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2017), each transcript was coded for ECEs’ use of gender-linked pronouns applied in reference to the seven non-human animal characters in “Goodnight, Gorilla” and the two in “Fly, Little Bird.”

Preliminary Results and Planned Analyses
To address Aim 1, preliminary results (from 147 transcripts currently coded) are presented in Figure 1.) Coding is ongoing with current definitions including “SHE” (traditionally feminine name, she/her/hers), “HE” (traditionally masculine name, he/his/him), “GENDER/SEX NEUTRAL” (animal label/name, they/it), “GENDER/SEX SWITCH” (switching between he, she, they), and “OTHER.” For Aim 2, we will use ANOVA to test for differences across three waves of data collection, and across the two different books.

Discussion
Results will elucidate the gendered language that very young children hear in the early phase of identity development. We will also discuss implications for anti-bias professional development and curriculum for ECEs and the young children in their classrooms.

Authors

• Anike Adekoya, Michigan State University
  Presenting Author

• Jessica Altenberger, Michigan State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Claire D Vallotton, Michigan State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Holly Elisabeth Brophy-Herb, Michigan State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Ann M Stacks, Wayne State University
  Non-Presenting Author