Student Independent Projects Social Cultural Studies 2015: Gender Dynamics in the Primary/Elementary School Classroom

Gender-related issues are present at many levels of primary/elementary school education: in the choice of career in a feminized occupation; in education programs attended primarily by female students; and, in the school classroom itself. This paper addresses gender issues in these three areas of experience using semi-structured interviews with six teachers, four of them female and two male. Findings include: the continuing predominance of female role models and teachers at this level, more pressure for males to succeed in this career, and varying levels of awareness of and differing ways of dealing with gender issues in the classroom, often related to the age and experience-level of the teacher.