Over the past two decades, the feminisation of primary school teaching has been identified by the media and government officials in Western countries as an important contributing factor to boys’ academic problems. This panic, which has been criticised by feminists as a backlash and a form of recuperative politics, has promoted the development of research into gender and education, particularly studies related to the gendered culture of primary schools and on the masculinities of male teachers. However, male primary principals remain relatively under-researched in the literature, despite the importance of their structural position and increasing concern over the masculinisation of school leadership. This paper aims to contribute to the discussion by critically analysing the interpretive frameworks of 12 male primary school principals. The findings reveal not only the complex, contradictory and at times culturally specific gendered discourses that some male principals employ, but also their feminising and masculinising effects on the school workplace and leadership.
[Copyright © 2011 Common Ground, Wai Man Vivienne Leung.]

In Hong Kong, preschool education is not included in the formal education system. However approximately 95% of children as young as 2 years of age attend either kindergartens or child care centers (Rao & Koong, 1999). Parents and early childhood educators in Hong Kong have been enthusiastic in their support of the inclusion of computer activities in programmes for young children. Chinese parents expect their young children to learn with computers, and anecdotal evidence suggests that they are eager to enroll their child in a kindergarten that provides computer activities. This has given rise to some important issues, and it is suggested here that early childhood educators and parents need to rethink the rationale underpinning the use of computers with young children. In particular, they need to consider whether computer activities are in the best interests of parents, kindergartens or young children. This paper will report a summary of the current status of computer learning environment in kindergartens using the Kindergarten Profile (2000) by Committee of Home-School Operation. There is a need for early childhood teachers and parents to understand how the children’s learning occurs and the factors that maximize the benefits of these learning experiences in such innovative program with ICT.