In the mostly female dominated profession of teaching, this pilot project investigates how a group of males who are both fathers and teachers perceive their experiences as they navigate these dual roles. This qualitative study invited men who were teaching in early childhood, primary and secondary settings in New Zealand, and who were also fathers, to comment on their perceptions of how their dual roles impacted on each other. The themes emerging from their responses included empathy for parents, better understanding of children, benefits for own children, and being viewed as “more real” by their students, as well as being better equipped to understand schools and learning, improved personal and professional qualities, and more time available to spend with family.
White (2008) Mothers who are student teachers: navigating their dual roles in pre-service teacher education. Studies in Continuing Education 30(2), pp. 159-172. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01580370802102064 ABSTRACT Many students in New Zealand are now of mature age, female, and mothers of dependent children (McAllister, Newell, Perry, & Scott, 2006). These students typically experience the challenge of sharing themselves between their children, partners, extended families and their fellow students, lecturers and studying. This research explored how a group of student-teachers who were also mothers experienced these dual roles and sought to document their beliefs, motivations, attitudes to these roles from the time they had entered teacher education. The following key themes emerged from the in-depth interviews with the women: strong motivation for wanting to become primary school teachers; the impact this decision had on the lives of their children, partners and extended families; the particular issues they faced as they tried to navigate the roles of mother and student-teacher; and the suggestions they had for continuing education and tertiary institutions to improve opportunities for other mothers wanting to study. This last theme is perhaps the most pertinent, as it offers implications for continuing education institutions wanting to attract and retain these students, who, as a group, represent a growing demographic trend in the student population.
This research draws on six interviews with mothers with dependent children who are studying to become primary school teachers in New Zealand. It investigates the motivating factors that encouraged them to undertake such tertiary studies and also introduces the implications for their families. For these six women, the role of mother seemed intrinsically tied to their motivation to train as teachers. Considerations relating to mothering (in part)
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