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Elementary Teachers' Perceptions of Gender Bias

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Date Issued:
2007
Summary:
The purpose of this study was to determine elementary teachers' perceptions of gender bias and further, to determine if additional information on gender bias might have an effect on how elementary teachers interact with their students. This study is valuable because gender bias situations can have a profound influence on how boys and girls view themselves in the world. Additionally, gender bias has been linked to a technological gap between males and females. The subjects for this study were 12 elementary teachers from a large metropolitan school district who participated in three different activities. The purpose of these activities was to determine the teachers' general perceptions of gender bias, their perceptions of gender bias related to curriculum, the origins of these perceptions, and finally, how this process might affect their current educational practices. The results of this study indicate that these elementary teachers placed a low priority on gender bias as a consideration for evaluating software or as an educational issue. The participants felt that their parents, their upbringing, and their environment were responsible for their perceptions of gender bias. Also, while the participants expressed a belief that the activities involved in the study would cause them to scrutinize software and other materials more carefully, they would not necessarily focus on gender issues. They also believed that these activities would have a limited influence on their current teaching practices. As a result of the study, I feel there is a need for pre-service teacher education and professional development for current teachers regarding what constitutes gender bias and the difference between bias and stereotypes. l also would recommend training to assist teachers in treating both male and female students equitably. Finally, since this study only involved three software titles, I would recommend additional research on the amount of gender bias content in educational software.
Title: Elementary Teachers' Perceptions of Gender Bias.
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Name(s): Barrows, Joyce A., author
McLaughlin, H. James, Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2007
Date Issued: 2007
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, FL
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 101 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: The purpose of this study was to determine elementary teachers' perceptions of gender bias and further, to determine if additional information on gender bias might have an effect on how elementary teachers interact with their students. This study is valuable because gender bias situations can have a profound influence on how boys and girls view themselves in the world. Additionally, gender bias has been linked to a technological gap between males and females. The subjects for this study were 12 elementary teachers from a large metropolitan school district who participated in three different activities. The purpose of these activities was to determine the teachers' general perceptions of gender bias, their perceptions of gender bias related to curriculum, the origins of these perceptions, and finally, how this process might affect their current educational practices. The results of this study indicate that these elementary teachers placed a low priority on gender bias as a consideration for evaluating software or as an educational issue. The participants felt that their parents, their upbringing, and their environment were responsible for their perceptions of gender bias. Also, while the participants expressed a belief that the activities involved in the study would cause them to scrutinize software and other materials more carefully, they would not necessarily focus on gender issues. They also believed that these activities would have a limited influence on their current teaching practices. As a result of the study, I feel there is a need for pre-service teacher education and professional development for current teachers regarding what constitutes gender bias and the difference between bias and stereotypes. l also would recommend training to assist teachers in treating both male and female students equitably. Finally, since this study only involved three software titles, I would recommend additional research on the amount of gender bias content in educational software.
Identifier: FA00000648 (IID)
Degree granted: Dissertation (Ed.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2007.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
College of Education
Subject(s): Early childhood education--Social aspects
Educational equalization--United States
Sex differences in education
Interaction analysis in education
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000648
Sublocation: Digital Library
Restrictions on Access: All rights reserved by the source institution
Restrictions on Access: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Restrictions on Access: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.