Children Are Children: Gender Doesn’t Matter?

Bhana, Deevia

doi:10.1007/978-981-10-2239-5_2

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Perceptions of children as becoming rather than agentic beings may lead to the assumption that children are too young to understand complex social issues, such as gendered power dynamics, and can be therefore seen as not implicated in the production of unequal power dynamics. Indeed, the teachers in this study suggested that preschool children are too young to know about gender -a finding that prevailed in other studies (Bhana, 2003;MacNaughton, 2000). For instance, in a discussion on differences in children's play, Megan explained that: 'It's personality more than anything.…”

Section: 'At This Age They Don't Associate Pink With Girl and Blue Wsupporting

confidence: 62%

“…As Blaise (2005: 18) posits: ‘Traditional early childhood discourses often position young children as naïve, passive, and powerless, making children’s agency difficult to recognize’. Such misrecognition manifests through child development understandings of childhood as a sequence of developmental stages, which positions children as adults in the making and thus as becoming rather than agentic beings (Bhana, 2003; Davies, 2003; Osgood, 2014; Thorne, 1993). Consequently, as Cannella (1997) has argued, children are constructed as innocent and unknowing.…”

Section: Preschool Teachers’ Perceptions and Classroom Practices Aroumentioning

confidence: 99%

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Patriarchy in the preschool classroom: Examining the effects of developmental ideologies on teachers’ perspectives and practices around play and gender

Prioletta

2019

Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood

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Child development ideologies have long informed early childhood education, shaping teachers’ perceptions of children and their classroom practices through teacher education programs and education policies. Following the rise of post-developmental perspectives in the early childhood literature, the author uses a critical feminist lens to examine the gendered implications child development ideologies have had on teachers’ perspectives and practices in a Canadian metropolis. Drawing on data collected in four preschool classrooms, the author argues that the preschool teachers’ reliance on child developmental logics inadvertently perpetuated a patriarchal culture in their classrooms, as gendered power dynamics went unnoticed and unaddressed in children’s play. The author concludes by exploring the possibilities that MacNaughton’s concept of the feminist pedagogic gaze may afford early learning practices and future directions for research.

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Section: 'At This Age They Don't Associate Pink With Girl and Blue Wsupporting

confidence: 62%

Section: Preschool Teachers’ Perceptions and Classroom Practices Aroumentioning

confidence: 99%

Patriarchy in the preschool classroom: Examining the effects of developmental ideologies on teachers’ perspectives and practices around play and gender

Prioletta

2019

Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood

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“…Weitzman et al (1972, p. 1126) suggested that children's literature puts forth ‘role models‐images’ for children to learn and aspire to become in the process of growing up. Bhana (2003, p. 43), however, encouraged teachers to challenge the problematic assumptions about children as ‘just kids, still young’ and ‘passive recipients of gender messages’. According to Gerding and Signorielli (2014), by the ages of 8–12 children have already developed their social and intellectual schemas, as well as explored their gender and identity, which echoes Westland's (1993) assertion that children aged 10–11 are at the optimal age to assess their awareness of gender images.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What do the children and teachers say?: Voices on gender stereotyping in children's literature for Malaysian ESL classrooms

Yeoh,

Cheong

2023

Review of Education

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This preliminary study analyses children's and teachers' views towards gender stereotyping in children's literature for Malaysian ESL (English as a Second Language) classrooms. We employed focus groups with 14 children (aged 10–12) and interviews with 6 experienced ESL teachers, in which children and teachers reflected on selected literature taught in schools. Our findings suggested that both children and teachers overlooked gender stereotyping in the selected children's literature as they focused more on the storyline and moral values. However, our focus groups with children showed their potential in adapting the reading materials to their social context, despite the typical belief that young children blindly learn and accept anything presented to them. Comparison between the boys and girls also showed different gendered responses towards gender stereotyping, with the boys showing stronger support for gender equality. The children insisted that men and women are equals and suggested more active male participation in domestic settings could indicate their readiness to discuss gender‐related issues. In addition, our interviews with teachers led to their call for more reading materials that reflect gender equality. The teachers admitted to a lack of explicit discussions about gender in their current teaching/learning process and expressed their willingness to include gender discussions with their students in the future. This study hopes to give voices to Malaysian children and teachers in the Global South, highlighting their potential for agency in pedagogical review and gender advocacy in education. Context and implicationsRationale for this studyThis study explores children's views' and teachers' strategies for addressing gender stereotyping in children's literature for Malaysian ESL classrooms.Why the new findings matterOur findings highlight the need for training for teachers and teaching/learning materials that reflect gender equality. Our findings signal children's readiness to discuss gender and the importance of teachers' role in fostering such discussions.Implications for practitioners and policy makersThis study is significant for teachers and curriculum reviewers in highlighting how children's literature may influence children and foster gender equality. There is a need for support materials, training for teachers and careful selection of suitable reading materials for children in terms of cultural and gender values.

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Rural teachers’ views: What are gender-based challenges facing Free Primary Education in Lesotho?

Morojele

2013

SAJE

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Children Are Children: Gender Doesn’t Matter?

Cited by 3 publications

References 14 publications

Patriarchy in the preschool classroom: Examining the effects of developmental ideologies on teachers’ perspectives and practices around play and gender

Patriarchy in the preschool classroom: Examining the effects of developmental ideologies on teachers’ perspectives and practices around play and gender

What do the children and teachers say?: Voices on gender stereotyping in children's literature for Malaysian ESL classrooms

Rural teachers’ views: What are gender-based challenges facing Free Primary Education in Lesotho?

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