Date of Award

2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Education (MSEd)

First Advisor

Virginia Casper

Abstract

This study examines children's understanding of gender roles within a classroom of three and four-year-olds. Discussions of gender in the classroom were recorded and transcribed over a four month period. In January, children were presented with "The Boys and Girls Book, " a book that discussed gender norms in the language of "Some girls play with trains/ Some boys play with trains." Common themes emerged, including gender-typed play, hair and clothing as signifiers of gender, marketing and material goods as related to gender roles, and the use of conventional and unconventional gender stereotypes. These children's changing understandings and rationales concerning gender over the course of the school year are documented and analyzed with respect to classic and current gender theory and research.

Comments

If you are the author of this study, and would like it removed from this repository, please email us at librarian@bankstreet.edu.

Early childhood general education (Program of study)

Share

COinS