Views of Female Preschool Pre-service Teachers about Male Teaching Colleagues

Demystifying foundation phase teaching: Male student teachers’ motivation to enroll for B.ED. degree in foundation phase at a rural university

“…This may have implications such as the likelihood of an increase in the number of male student teachers who may decide to become FP teachers in the country. Sobiraj, Korek, Weseler and Mohr (2011) and Sak, Sahin and Sahin (2012) believe that just like in Turkey, the number of male teachers in Germany and the United States is likey to rise due to the changing perceptions of primary teaching professional status.…”

Becoming a (male) foundation phase teacher: A need in South African schools?

“…In New Zealand, there is growing public concern over the disproportionately small number of male teachers teaching young children, and in the United States, the topic features prominently on social media platforms (http://www.takepart.com/ article/2013/07/19/we-need-more-male-elementary-school-teachers). The findings of a recent study in Turkey about parents' opinions about having their children taught by male preschool teachers reveal that parents whose children receive education from male teachers believe that men can perform this task as successfully as women (Akman, Taskin, Ozden, Okyay & Cortu 2014), while Sak et al (2012) found that most female pre-service preschool teachers in Turkey also agree that there should be more male preschool teachers. The female teachers expressed the opinion that due to the increasing prominence given to childhood education, there are more opportunities in this field, which encourages more men to enter into preschool teaching, but felt that an active media campaign should be undertaken to make the general public more aware of the benefits of male pre-school teachers (ibid).…”

“…Similar attitudes were displayed by some female preschool teachers in a Turkish study, who expressed concern that male preschool teachers are not good caregivers. One respondent observed that if she was a parent of girls, she would prefer not to have her daughter taught by males (Sak, Sahin & Sahin 2012). Sanders (2002) and Sargent (2001) point out that many men have little or no experience working and interacting with young children (birth to age 8), and their initial awkwardness may cause professors, supervisors, and families to judge them harshly.…”

“…Petersen (2014) notes that the findings of Akman et al (2014) regarding parents' views on the appointment of male teachers in Turkish preschools indicate that they are becoming less concerned about whether teachers are male or female, which means that there is likely to be an increasing number of male student teachers in foundation phase teacher education programmes in that country. Based on their own research, Sobiraj et al (2011) and Sak et al (2012) also conclude that the number of males in formerly female-dominated occupations is expected to rise in the future in countries such as Germany, the United States and Turkey.…”

“…Physical activity therefore also forms an essential part of schooling in the early grades. Sak et al (2012) found that boys preferred to play with male teachers -perhaps, as Fagan (1996) and Lamb (2000) assert, because men bring more play, active movement, entertainment, and rough and tumble play to the way in which they interact not only with their own children, but also with those in a school programme. In addition, Sak et al (2012) found that female preschool teachers not only think that their male counterparts are innovative problem-solvers and better disciplinarians, but also that they support the development of children's social and emotional skills by serving as positive male role models.…”