Date of Award
2008
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Education
Abstract
The minimal male presence serving asEducational leaders in today's elementary classrooms has been continuously noted by popular media during the last two decades. With these low numbers in the school environment, the mere presence of a male elementary teacher seems to inspire the general public to expect higher standards of performance of him, and thus, place greater value upon him. Despite the number of media reports seemingly demanding more male teachers in elementary classrooms, there are few empirical studies that document the male teachers' voice and clearly communicate why these men willingly choose to pursue a career where they continuously encounter social expectations based on their identity. Utilizing individual interviews with 10 male elementary teachers as the primary means of data collection, a qualitative research method was conducted for this study. This research described and analyzed the various factors influencing their decision to become teachers and specific reasons as to why they opted for the elementary level. While there are many individualized and unique variations factoring into the decision-making process, there are a few commonalities that impacted their decision. A common focus of all the participants was their genuine desire to improve the lives of children. This interest and desire had to have been encouraged and reinforced through the participation in formal and informal leadership and instructional opportunities. The influential impact of a strong network of family support was present for each participant when needed. The final necessity being that each participant must have the social and emotional maturity to handle the gender stereotypes and scrutiny that may accompany the occupation. The findings of this study suggest the importance of recognizing the potential of these factors and exploring the feasibility of instigating and promoting them for young men in today's society.
Recommended Citation
Carter, Daniel J., "Factors Influencing Males To Teach At The Elementary Level: An Interview -Based Exploration Of The Thoughts And Rationale For Their Career Choice" (2008). All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 997.
https://scholars.indianastate.edu/etds/997