Teacher Perceptions of Gender Stereotyping and how they Influence their Interactions with Boys and Girls in Early Childhood Education

Abstract

This study considers the ways in which early childhood teachers relate with boys and girls on the basis of gender stereotypes as a result of the existence of the scarcity of awareness about perceptions of gender stereotyping in preschools. A case study research design was adopted where data were collected using semi-structured interviews from a sample size consisting of 8 preschool teachers, drawn from both public and private schools within the Ayawaso West municipality in Accra, Ghana. The findings reveal that the preschool teachers engage in practices that promote gender equality in their classrooms but unconsciously perpetuate gender stereotyping due to some practices underpinned by gender stereotypes.