[Pick the date] [Edition 1, Volume 1]

INTRODUCTION
In the education field, the
proportion of male to female
teachers is not balanced. This is
more evident when we focus on
elementary schools. In the United
States, 88% of elementary school
teachers are women, leaving
only 12% of men are within this
profession (Montecinos & Nielsen,
2004). When examined further,
the majority of
men teaching
in elementary
schools are
within the
upper primary
grades (4-6),
meaning that
it is further
disproportionate in the lower
levels of Kindergarten to second
grade. The question that follows
is why is there such an imbalance
within the occupation? Also,
what do people think about this
information?
When considering male
teachers, there seems to be two
main sides: one that advocates
for male teachers and another
that seeks to avoid them. In
considering potential benefits,
many point out the strong male
presence in authority and
potential role models for students.
When asked the costs of a male
teacher, the answers include the
lack of emotions as well as the
rare, but unfortunate cases of
pedophilia.
In consideration of how the
general public considers the idea
of a male elementary teacher,
this research
brief will first
discuss the
existing
research.
Then, semi
structured
interviews
that were
conducted with a male
elementary teacher, a female
elementary teacher, and a
parent about this topic will be
presented. Also, the results of an
anonymous survey will be
discussed. Following an
explanation of the findings, there
will include some implications
and things to consider, especially
for administrators and teachers.
There will also be suggestions for
future study on this topic.

An Inquiry Brief for Administrators and Teachers by Samuel Chung
WHAT ARE THE PERCEPTIONS OF MALE
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS?
QUOTES
Students build a
relationship with a
positive male figure -
which some students
lack. Male teachers
could have a
different perspective
on teaching and the
classroom. Male
Fourth Grade Teacher

[Male teachers are]
less sensitive to
students' needs and
personal situations -
Anonymous

Teaching has been
looked upon as a role
for females, so it is
widely accepted for
females to be in the
profession, but society
is not as open to
males working with
young kids. -
Anonymous


I BELIEVE MORE MALES
IN PRIMARY EDUCATION
WOULD BE A POSITIVE
OVERALL OUTCOME -
PARENT

An Inquiry Brief for Administrators and Teachers by Samuel Chung

EXISTING RESEARCH

Much of the existing research
revolves around interviews with
individuals who either are, or work
alongside, male teachers. Their
responses are compiled and
organized in a way to discover
trends. To understand the given
information, there are several
foundations that must be defined
and addressed to clearly
understand the interpretation of
the results presented.
A major theme across
research comes from gender
theory, which basically states that
society has created associations
to anything that is considered
masculine or feminine. In this
theory, the subject (the teacher
in this study) does not carry a
certain inclination for a gender in
itself, but people deem it as
either masculine or feminine.
Many researchers have used this
theory as their lens for study,
seeing how the existing trends in
teaching have supported the
perceived gender roles within.
The elementary teaching
profession is frequently related to
the idea of caring and nurturing,
which is often associated with
females (Hansen & Mulholland,
2005). Through gender theory,
women are seen as those who
are warm, sympathetic, tender,
emotional, nurturing, and caring
(Brookhart & Loadman, 1996;
Hansen &Mulholland, 2005;
Montecinos & Nielsen, 2004).
These associations fit in with the
character qualifications for a
successful elementary school
teacher, which encourages
many women to pursue this
career.
Men, however, are seen as
competitive, dominant,
independent, confident,
aggressive, physical, and
sometimes sexualized (Brookhart
& Loadman, 1996; Hansen &
Mulholland, 2005; Montecinos &
Nielsen, 2004). These character
associations create an interesting
tension for men who pursue this
career. On one hand, these traits
seem to contradict the female
associated profession of
elementary teaching, making
them unfavorable candidates for
the position. However, interview
responses have also shown that
some of these differences are
highly considered, particularly
describing men as potential role
models for students (Montecinos
& Nielsen, 2004, Martino & Rezai-
Rashti, 2012). Given that some
students lack parental role
models, namely male role
models, research has shown that
men enter the profession to be a
positive factor in the lives of
students (Montecinos & Nielsen,
2004). These differences seem to
either support or hinder male
elementary teachers depending
on the context of its use.
Also, this difference between
perceived male and female
teachers have brought about
certain double standards to be
considered. Montecinos &
Nielsen (2004), for example,
included a conversation of a
male teacher who stated that
Womens laps are places of
love. Mens are places of
danger. Although the male and
female teacher may do the
same act, they are interpreted
differently based on the
gendered associations
(Montecinos & Nielsen, 2004;
Hansen & Mulholland, 2005).
However, other research has
concluded that gender alone
cannot suffice to explain the
differences between male and
female teachers. It is seen as
too simplistic and that there is
an interconnectedness of race,
class, and gender (Martino &
Rezai-Rashti, 2012).
Regardless, in seeing the
spectrum of responses and
perceptions of male teachers, a
personal research was
conducted to compare results
with existing literature.


An Inquiry Brief for Administrators and Teachers by Samuel Chung

CURRENT SURVEY AND RESEARCH
Methods
Three individuals were given a
semi-structured interview asking
them questions that pertained to
their perception of male
elementary school teachers. The
three individuals were: a male
elementary teacher, a female
elementary teacher, and a
parent. The three main questions
asked were:
1. What are possible
advantages of having a
male teacher?
2. What are possible
disadvantages of having
a male teacher?
3. Why do you think the
proportion of male to
female teachers is so off?
Alongside these three
interviews, an online survey
was conducted that asked
the general public about their
perception of teachers,
including questions similar to
that of the interview, as well as
a Likert-scale question on
What is your perception of
male teachers?, providing a
scale of 1 to 5, 5 being a very
positive view on male
teachers.
Results
In compiling the
responses from the three
interviews, there were no
observable differences in
responses based on profession
or gender.
Advantages that
were commonly
discussed among the
three individuals
included:
A positive male
role model
A different perspective
and teaching style
that helps different
students
Diversity in the field
Meanwhile, disadvantages
that were listed included:
Difficulty for male
teachers to build
close relationships
with students
Many males are not
nurturing
Some students do not
respond well to the
different teaching
style
When asked about potential
reasoning behind the
disproportion of male to
female elementary school
teachers, the responses
included:
Males are supposed to
be the bread winners
and some would
rather make more
money
Children are not
exposed to male
elementary school
teachers, and dont
consider it a job
option when having to
decide. Similar to that
of females and
engineering
The survey was conducted on
32 Females and 21 Males,
where the mean average
ranking of male teachers from
the Likert scale was 3.94
The survey participants
answers in regards to the
questions presented above
were compared to that of the
interview responses. All of the
responses mentioned in the
interview were reiterated by
other anonymous individuals.
Additional commonly
provided responses included:
Males are not as
gentle or sensitive to
emotions
Males are more
rational
Males garner more
authority from students
Potential pedophile
Summary
The interviews and survey
contained responses that
considered the advantages
and disadvantages of male
elementary teachers, but
overall displayed a general
favor for them.

An Inquiry Brief for Administrators and Teachers by Samuel Chung

DISCUSSION, IMPLICATIONS, AND FUTURE STUDY
In light of the responses provided in this study, it can be confirmed that the general public supports the
observations made by previous research, regardless of whether or not they understand the social theories
behind them. The research was not intended to convince on either way, but to observe the existing
perceptions of male teachers. Although the questions may have evoked both positive and negative views
on male teachers, the responses showed that there is at least a different view for males than female
elementary teachers. As supported by gender theory, male teachers have separate standards for behavior
and profession than their female counterparts. It is interesting to note that there was a more positive stance
for male elementary teachers despite the potential negative aspects presented.
From the positive trends supporting male elementary teachers, there are several recommendations for
administrators and teachers:
If possible, hire male teachers, especially in the elementary school levels (assuming that the
individual is qualified to teach and displays qualities of the benefits mentioned in this study)
Show and discuss with students that elementary teaching is not confined to females
Provide incentives for teachers to remain in their professions, and not use teaching as a means to
other careers
For future studies, researchers should interview students who have experienced both male and female
teachers to add to the list of advantages and disadvantages of teaching. Also, a factor that was not
considered in this study was the root of the disproportion. There is an overwhelming amount of female
preservice teachers and applicants, so it would be interesting to consider more in depth the reason as to why
men dont apply for the profession.
References

1. Brookhart, S. M., & Loadman, W. E. (1996) Characteristics of Male Elementary Teachers in the USA, At Teacher
Education Program Entry and Exit. Teaching & Teaching Education, 12, 197-210.
2. Hansen, P., & Mulholland, J. A. (2005) Caring and Elementary Teaching: The Concerns of Male Beginning
Teachers. Journal of Teacher Education, 119-131.
3. Martino, W., & Rezai-Rashti, G. (2012) Rethinking the Influence of Male Teachers: Investigating Gendered and
Raced Authority in an Elementary School in Toronto. Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural
Studies, 34, 258-281.
4. Montecinos, C., & Nielsen, L. E. (2004) Male Elementary Preservice Teachers' Gendering of
Teaching.Multicultural Perspectives, 6, 3-9.




Samuel Chung
Summer 2014
EDS 206