Does the gender of the teacher really matter? Seven- to eight-year-olds’ accounts of their interactions with their teachers

Carrington, B., Francis, B., Hutchings, M., Skelton, C., Read, B. and Hall, I. (2007) Does the gender of the teacher really matter? Seven- to eight-year-olds’ accounts of their interactions with their teachers. Educational Studies, 33(4), pp. 397-413. (doi: 10.1080/03055690701423580)

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Abstract

In recent years, policy‐makers in England, Australia and other countries have called for measures to increase male recruitment to the teaching profession, particularly to the primary sector. This policy of targeted recruitment is predicated upon a number of unexamined assumptions about the benefits of matching teachers and pupils by gender. For example, it is held that the dearth of male ‘role models’ in schools continues to have an adverse effect on boys’ academic motivation and engagement. Utilizing data from interviews with more than 300 7‐ to 8‐year‐olds attending primary schools in the north‐east and south‐east of England, the paper sets out to scrutinize these claims. The findings revealed that the gender of teachers had little apparent effect on the academic motivation and engagement of either boys or girls. For the majority of the children, the gender of the teacher was largely immaterial. They valued teachers, whether men or women, who were consistent and even‐handed and supportive of them as learners.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Read, Professor Barbara and Carrington, Prof Bruce
Authors: Carrington, B., Francis, B., Hutchings, M., Skelton, C., Read, B., and Hall, I.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Education
College of Social Sciences > School of Education > Educational Leadership & Policy
Journal Name:Educational Studies
ISSN:0305-5698
ISSN (Online):1465-3400
Published Online:29 November 2007

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