Constructing gender in Hong Kong kindergartens

Constructing gender in Hong Kong kindergartens

• Chen, Eve Siu Ling

2006

• A Human Growth & Development
  • AJ Sexual Difference, Bisexual Educational Difference, Sexism in Education

Preschool Education Gender Gender Identity Preschool Children - Hong Kong - Attitudes Preschool Teachers - Hong Kong - Attitudes Socialization - Hong Kong

• Hong Kong

• 1997.7 onwards

• Pre-Primary Education

This thesis investigated the process of gender construction in kindergartens by considering the unique roles of different socialization agents. Participants were 40 4-year-old Hong Kong Chinese children (21 girls and 19 boys) enrolled in four local kindergartens and their four female teachers. Over a period of ten months, 105 visits to these kindergartens were made and 235 hours of systematic observations focusing on social interactions among the target children, their teachers and their peers were analyzed. Participants were also interviewed, in individual sessions, to discern their personal theories about gender. Transcripts of observation and interview data were subject to systematic content analysis and the lens of gender was used to frame interpretations of these data. Descriptive codes, generated iteratively, were clustered, categorized, integrated, recoded, and re-categorized and led to the identification of three major themes. These were "Gendered Preschool Routines", "Perpetuation of Gender Stereotypes" and "Self-Censuring". Teachers were responsible for preschool routines, and both teachers and children upheld gender stereotypes while children monitored their own behavior when they feared they would be chastised by their peers for behavior which may be considered gender inappropriate.
Transcripts of observation and interview data were subject to systematic content analysis and the lens of gender was used to frame interpretations of these data. Descriptive codes, generated iteratively, were clustered, categorized, integrated, recoded, and re-categorized and led to the identification of three major themes. These were "Gendered Preschool Routines", "Perpetuation of Gender Stereotypes" and "Self-Censuring". Teachers were responsible for preschool routines, and both teachers and children upheld gender stereotypes while children monitored their own behavior when they feared they would be chastised by their peers for behavior which may be considered gender inappropriate.
Teachers had a critical role in the construction of gender in that children's days were largely teacher-directed and children's gender-related experiences in the kindergartens were structured by the gendered daily routines. For example, children were repeatedly characterized by their gender and gender segregation for routine tasks was commonplace. Differential treatment of boys and girls was evident with boys garnering more attention than girls and teachers both inadvertently and deliberately perpetuated gender stereotypes. The physical environments created by teachers reflected feminine preferences and male-biases.
Children also contributed to gender construction in the kindergarten. They tended to congregate in gender-segregated groups during free play. They were dismissive of attempts by opposite-sex peers to initiate cooperative play. For example, boys were reprimanded and deliberately excluded from "playing house" by the girls. The peer group had a critical role in defining what constituted gender-appropriate play and endorsing playmates. On several occasions, children were seen to want to engage in "gender-inappropriate play". For example, boys wanted to play with dolls. However, boys tended to become self-conscious if they felt they were being watched by others and desisted from engaging in such behavior. Findings also highlight the importance of interpreting gender construction in context. Traditional Chinese beliefs were evident in interviews with teachers and reflected in teachers' behaviours suggesting that belief systems have a potent influence on children's gender construction. A model which includes cultural-contextual, institutional-contextual, physical-contextual and relationship-contextual factors is proposed to explain the process of gender construction in Hong Kong kindergartens.

PhD

University of Hong Kong

Hong Kong

• English

Dissertation Theses

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/en/bibs/fe4db49e

2010-12-16