Calls for more men in primary teaching: problematizing the issues

Gender and Teachers' Attrition: The Occupational Destination of Former Teachers

“…In several case studies, male teachers, who were outnumbered by female teachers, reported emotional distress. They feared being accused of sexual harassment (Sumison, 2002), not being taken seriously by female teachers, or being questioned about their sexual identity (Allan, 1993;Pepperell & Smedley, 1998). As Allan (1993) concluded, "Male elementary school teachers often feel isolated and vulnerable, because they upset the gendered ordering of the institution" (p. 127).…”

The lure of hegemonic masculinity: investigating the dynamics of gender relations in two male elementary school teachers’ lives1

“…Thus what has been provided here is an attempt to deconstruct male teachers' narratives through creating ruptures that enable alternative readings to be generated which illuminate the contradictory relations of hegemonic masculinity in male elementary school teachers' lives. Such analysis amplifies the limits imposed by the role-model discourse informing policy discussions on the need to address male teacher shortage in schools (see Coulter and McNay 1993;Pepperell and Smedley 1998;Martino and Kehler 2006). This research has illuminated how such positions, which rely on unproblematized notions of static identity formation that are grounded in sex-role socialization theory (Segal 1990), fail to address the complex dynamics of gender relations in male elementary school teachers' lives.…”

“…Ben's interview enables a more complex and nuanced analysis of the dynamics of masculinity in male teachers' lives, which is elided in policy and public discourse concerning the need for more male role models and male teacher recruitment. For example, he mentions the 'enormous concern and anxiety about child abuse', where 'as a man choosing a career working with children you do feel that there are a lot of eyes on you, and that there are certain suspicions afoot that far exceed any suspicions which would be on a female teacher' (King 1997(King , 1998(King , 2004Silin 1997;Pepperell and Smedley 1998).…”

“…It employs a poststructuralist approach to empirical analysis (Sondergaard 2002), which raises important questions about the failure of educational policy-in its insistence on the need for more male role models in elementary schools-to adequately deal with the complexities and significance of male teachers' masculinities (see Allan 1994;Pepperell and Smedley 1998;Carrington and Skelton 2003;Skelton 2003). In short, the call for more male role models has been presented as a means by which to counteract the detrimental influences wrought by the increasing feminization of elementary schooling, with its potential for emasculating young boys (Martino and Kehler 2006).…”

Male teacher shortage: black teachers’ perspectives

“…Such policy-related critique and empirical research have drawn attention to the fallacious assumptions at the basis of the call for more male teachers in elementary schools, as well as the problem of failing to engage with research-based literature about the impact and effects of hegemonic masculinities on male teachers' lives in schools (see Ashley 2003;Carrington and McPhee 2008;Francis 2008;Pepperell and Smedley 1998;Skelton 2002Skelton , 2003. In addition, more specific research, focusing on students' accounts of effective teaching, has found that there is no empirical basis for the claims that male teachers or rather that the gender of the teacher per se is a factor that enhances students' learning or motivation in school (see Lahelma 2000;Lingard et al 2002).…”