ERIC Number: EJ1111923
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Oct
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2014-6418
EISSN: N/A
Preconstructing Suspicion and Recasting Masculinity in Preschool Settings
Pruit, John C.
Qualitative Research in Education, v3 n3 p320-344 Oct 2014
Although there is literature explaining how female ethnographers negotiate male-dominated research settings, there is a lack of literature explaining how male ethnographers negotiate female-dominated settings. It is, more or less, taken for granted the research settings males choose will be suitable for them. The field of early childhood education, and preschools in particular, would benefit from a basic explanation of male fieldworker practices and why they are necessary for men in early childhood education settings. Drawing on personal experiences from two years of ethnographic research, I turn to a Montessori preschool in the Midwestern United States to address the complexities of being a male fieldworker in a female-dominated setting. I first explicate some dimensions of preconstructing suspicion of males in ECE. I then develop a gender recasting strategy with the goal of recasting masculinity. Recasting masculinity is a reflexive self-presentation strategy using personal characteristics as resources to build trust and rapport with research participants.
Descriptors: Masculinity, Preschool Children, Preschool Education, Ethnography, Early Childhood Education, Montessori Schools, Preschool Teachers, Montessori Method, Sexual Identity, Gender Issues, Males, Notetaking, Field Studies, Interviews, Grounded Theory
Hipatia Press. Claramunt, 4, Local 2 08030, Barcelona, Spain. Tel: +34-93-302-1226: e-mail: info@hipatiapress.com; Web site: http://www.hipatiapress.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Preschool Education; Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A