Being a Male Preschool Teacher in Türkiye: From the Perspective of Teachers, Mothers, and Children

Abstract

This study aims at investigating the views of teachers, mothers, and children about male preschool teachers. The phenomenology, one of the qualitative research designs, is used in this study. Study group consists of six preschool teachers (three females and three males) and 12 children and their mothers selected from the classes of these teachers by using the purposeful sampling method. Data are collected through interviews with these groups and analyzed with content analysis. Children are also requested to make a drawing that reflects their thoughts about their teachers. It is determined that male teachers prefer this profession with the idea of finding a job easily. Being a male preschool teacher is evaluated by both gender of teachers as an advantage in providing discipline to children. According to the male preschool teachers, the disadvantages working in this position are that parents don’t consider preschools as educational institutions, difficulty in communicating with mothers, and the risk of abuse. In the study, it is determined that some mothers are prejudiced against male teachers at the beginning of the term, this prejudice decreases during the term, and all of the children have positive thoughts and feelings about their teachers. As a result of the research, it is concluded that all of the teachers and most of the mothers believe that preschool teaching is generalized as a female profession, but they believe that it should not be generalized in this way.