Teachers’ Gender-Role Attitudes and Gendered Classroom Practices

• In Event: Gender Gaps in STEM: Teacher Practices and Biases, Other-gender Peer Relationships, and Children’s Stereotypes

Abstract

Teachers play a unique role in shaping children’s gendered classroom experiences, perceptions, and beliefs (e.g., Hilliard & Liben, 2010; Kowalski, 2007), and this is particularly true for STEM subjects. Experimental research conducted in the U.S. suggests that teachers’ gendered classroom practices (e.g., gender labeling of children) influence students’ gender-related cognitions and behaviors (Bigler, 1995; Hilliard & Liben, 2010). However, only a few studies outside of early childhood contexts have examined teachers’ use of gendered classroom practices, and no studies to date have investigated how teachers’ gender-role attitudes are linked to teachers’ gendered classroom practices. To address these gaps in research, the current study assessed the frequency of gendered classroom practices (i.e., promotion of: gender salience, gender segregation, gender integration) and the associations among teachers’ gendered classroom practices and gender-role attitudes. We also explored teachers’ rationales for promoting gender segregation and gender integration. Implications are discussed for education at-large and specifically for addressing gender gaps in STEM.
This study was guided by the following goals: To explore the frequency of teachers’ use of classroom practices that promote gender salience, gender segregation, and gender integration among children; to explore the relations among these classroom practices; and, to investigate how teachers’ gender-role attitudes are related to teachers’ gendered classroom practices. Secondary, exploratory goals were to examine grade level differences in teachers’ gendered classroom practices and to compare teachers’ rationales for promoting gender segregation vs. gender integration.
We used an online survey in the U.S. to examine Pre-K, 2nd, and 5th grade (N = 539), teachers’ (81% white; 94% female) gendered classroom practices (i.e., promotion of: gender salience, gender segregation, gender integration among students), as well as the effects of gender-role attitudes on these practices. The promotion of gender salience entailed practices such as the use of gender labels and setting up competitions between boys and girls. The promotion of gender segregation entailed practices facilitating same-gender student interactions whereas the promotion of gender integration entailed practices facilitating mixed-gender interactions. Teachers reported promoting gender salience a few times a month and reported the frequent promotion of gender integration, whereas they reported the infrequent promotion of gender segregation. Preschool teachers scored lower than elementary school teachers on the promotion of gender salience and on the promotion of gender segregation. Teachers were more likely to assign students to mixed-sex groups than to same-sex groups for the following reasons: students need experience with other-sex (vs. same-sex) students; it is an efficient and easy way to group students; and, because it cuts down on discipline problems. On average, teachers held egalitarian gender-role attitudes. Holding more traditional gender-role attitudes was positively associated with the promotion of gender salience and with the promotion of gender segregation, however, there was no relation between gender-role attitudes and the promotion of gender integration. Findings have implications for classroom practices and teacher professional development, for closing gender gaps in STEM, and for the promotion of gender diverse experiences for children in their classrooms.

Authors

• Flora Farago, Stephen F. Autstin University
  Presenting Author

• Carol Lynn Martin, Arizona State University

• Kristen Granger, Vanderbilt University

• Carlos E. Santos, University of California - Los Angeles

• Cindy Faith Miller, Texas State University