Questioning Questioning Assumptions About Male Assumptions About Male

EducatorsEducators

Janice Wallace, PhDJanice Wallace, PhD

Educational Policy StudiesEducational Policy Studies

University of AlbertaUniversity of Alberta

How can we increase the number How can we increase the number of male elementary teachers and of male elementary teachers and male role models to enhance the male role models to enhance the learning success of boys… learning success of boys…

What is driving the high interest What is driving the high interest in this question?in this question?

Is there a clear link between Is there a clear link between the learning performance of the learning performance of boys and male teachers?boys and male teachers?

There are a complex set of inter-related economic, social, and political factors that are at play in the choices males and females make when considering a career in education.

Males contemplating teaching positions that are most stereotypically attached to female interests are caught between

•the feminized expectations for working with young children• traditional masculine ideals• and unchallenged homophobia that fuels fears about men working with young children.

Male elementary teachers often compensate by assuming a hyper-masculinized persona (Connell, 1989, Francis & Skelton, 2001) or simply leave teaching to find jobs in more traditional grades for male teachers (Ferguson, 2005).

Sex of Survey Participants

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Number 64 277 341

Percent 19 81 100

Male Female Total

Making the Making the decision to decision to become a become a teacher…teacher…

First Time Decision to Become a Teacher

0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 30.00% 35.00% 40.00% 45.00%

Elementary School

Secondary School

Undergraduate

Degree

Other

Male

Female

Teacher Education - Teaching Route

0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00%

Early Childhood

Education

Elementary

Secondary

Other

Males

Females

Gender/Age Cross-tabulation

AgeTotal

20-25 26-30 31-35 36+

Gender

Male

Count 22 22 13 7 64

% within Gender

34.4 34.4 20.3 10.9 100.0

% within Age

13.7 18.6 41.9 23.3 18.8

Female

Count 139 96 18 23 276

% within Gender

50.4 34.8 6.5 8.3 100.0

% within Age

86.3 81.4 58.1 76.7 81.2

Total

Count 161 118 31 30 340

% within Gender

47.4 34.7 9.1 8.8 100.0

% within Age

100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

School Setting/Gender Crosstabulation

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Rural

Urban

Female

Male

Did you consider other Did you consider other professions?professions?

Males … 61/64 or 95% considered Males … 61/64 or 95% considered and many had prepared for or and many had prepared for or participated in other professions/jobs. participated in other professions/jobs. None said that they always wanted to None said that they always wanted to be a teacher.be a teacher.

Females … 219/277 or 79% said they Females … 219/277 or 79% said they had considered and some had had considered and some had prepared for or participated in other prepared for or participated in other professions. 4 said they always knew professions. 4 said they always knew they wanted to be a teacherthey wanted to be a teacher

What What influences influences the the decision decision to become to become a teacher?a teacher?

Positive Influences for Becoming a

Teacher

Positive Influences

Females Males

Number

PercentNumbe

rPercent

Parents 172 62.1 27 42.2

Relatives 82 29.6 17 26.6

Neighbours 3 1.1 0 0

Friends 103 37.2 23 35.9

Elementary Teacher(s) 132 47.7 19 29.7

Secondary Teacher(s) 131 47.3 38 59.4

Guidance Counselors(s) 20 7.2 1 1.6

Media 7 2.5 5 7.8

Other 68 24.5 21 32.8

Negative Influences for Becoming a Teacher

Negative Influences

Females Males

NumberPercent

Number

Percent

Parents 30 10.8 10 15.6

Relatives 27 9.7 11 17.2

Neighbours 11 4.0 7 10.9

Friends 36 13.0 20 31.3

Elementary Teacher(s) 29 10.5 3 4.7

Secondary Teacher(s) 49 17.7 7 10.9

Guidance Counselor(s) 24 8.7 2 3.1

Media 108 39.0 28 43.8

Other 41 14.8 5 7.8

What do beginning teachers What do beginning teachers say about encouraging more say about encouraging more

males to think about teaching?males to think about teaching?

Suggestions from beginning teachers for attracting more males to

elementary teaching

56%of Females156/277

59 % of Males

N=38/64

Increase status/pay 19 %19 % 28 %28 %

Break down stereotypes 1010 1515

Recruit through guidance courses, media, visits to classes, etc.

1414 88

Change work environment to reflect male norms/provide support/services

8.58.5 1515

Stress positive role of teacher in elementary 9.59.5 88

Preferential admission to elementary/Incentives

2.52.5 1010

Change program to include placements at all levels

66 88

Stress benefits of work environment 33 00

Fear of predatory charges 44 00

Meet women 33 55

QUESTIONS ?QUESTIONS ?