Challenging teachers' perceptions and pedagogical practices regarding children's gender identity in early childhood development centres

Abstract

Challenging teacher perceptions and pedagogical practices is paramount to gender equality in early childhood development. Teachers’ perceptions and pedagogical practices entrench stereotypical gender identities. The rationale of this study was to identify and challenge teachers’ perceptions and pedagogical practices in ECD centres. Teachers' beliefs and educational practices influence children’s achievement (Palomba, 2022). The study aimed to develop a framework that would make teachers aware of perceptions and pedagogical practices. It was only through understanding the influence of the teachers’ perceptions and pedagogical practices on gender that this framework was created. Post-structural, identity, and agency theory provided the conceptual framework for this research. These three theories were the key components used when designing the framework. Qualitative research methods such as interviews, observations, focus group discussions, participatory action research, and thematic analysis were used to collect and analyse data from the teacher participants. The participants consisted of twelve ECD teachers in Gauteng, South Africa. The data was generated in four phases. The first and second phases revealed that teachers’ perceptions and pedagogical practices of gender needed to be challenged as they were gender biased. In the third and fourth phases, the teachers discussed the influence of challenging their perceptions, pedagogical practices, and the changes in children's behaviour. The findings revealed that teachers became more aware of the influence of their perceptions and pedagogical practices on gender. The data collected resulted in the development of a framework named “The Renisha Singh Framework for Gender Awareness Teaching” (RS-GAT), which incorporates elements of agency, discourses of power, and identities. This framework can be applied in the ECD centres and is recommended in the professional development of pre-service and in-service teachers. Key Terms Early Childhood Centres, pedagogical practices, gender awareness framework, gender identity.