Anomaly as Exemplar: The Meanings of Role-Modeling for Men Elementary Teachers.

Abstract

This study looked at male elementary school teachers and the role modeling component of their work in an effort to understand why the profession continues to be dominated by women. The study gathered data through guided collaborative interviews between the Fall of 1989 and December 1991 with 15 men currently employed as elementary teachers in Iowa. Analysis of the interviews explored ways these men negotiated the contradictions of role-modeling and worked at constructing masculinities appropriate to the job and congruent with others' conflicting expectations. Overall there emerged social landscape filled with contradictions in which each advantage, based on gender, carried potential disadvantages. Other findings included the following: (1) participants sensed public perceptions of an important need' for increased involvement of adult men in the lives of children; (2) school administrators, the participants reported, felt pressure from parents to hire male teachers; (3) role modeling was not only perceived as an important part of their work, but as work that a single male or few can perform in an otherwise all-female faculty; (4) in practice, male role modeling emerges as kind of optimistic ritual approach to solving social problems; and (5) participants felt conflict in fulfilling the demand to be male role model while doing work typically pe:formed by women. (Contains 23 references.) (JB) *vp******************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * *********************************************************************** Anomaly as Exemplar: The Meanings of Role-modeling for Men Elementary Teachers Jim Allan Assistant Professor Tri-CoLiege Department of Education Box 236, Loras College Dubuque, Iowa 52001 (319) 583-7796 U.S. DEPARTMENT OA EDUCATION Orke of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 0 This document has Peen reproduced es received from the person or orgerszahon originating it O Minor changes have been made to improve reproductiOn quality Points ot view opmions Camel In thisdocui merit do 1101 necessarily rPrSent othcil OERI position or policy -PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

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