Academic gender stereotypes of pre-service teachers

Abstract

This research was aimed at studying the content of academic gender stereotypes of pre-service teachers who are being prepared for working in different cycles of education. The sample included 408 students of teaching programmes of the Teacher Training College, Faculty of Mathematics and Faculty of Philology in Belgrade. It has been established that future class and subject teachers have gender stereotypes about the interests and achievements of students in different school subjects. pre-service teachers from both groups are of the opinion that girls get interested more easily than boys in the majority of school subjects, as well as that girls are more talented for the subjects in the field of humanities and languages, while boys are more talented for the subjects in the field of sciences. Pre-service teachers estimate that boys typically have a low achievement in languages, arts and music, while girls have a low achievement in physics, computer science, technical sciences and physical education. Since teachers' gender stereotypes can affect students' achievement, educational and career choices, it is important to raise awareness about the content and consequences of such beliefs in teachers and focus on certain actions towards their altering.

Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je da se ispita sadržaj akademskih rodnih stereotipa budućih nastavnika koji se pripremaju za rad u različitim ciklusima osnovnog obrazovanja. Uzorak je činilo 408 studenata nastavničkih smerova Učiteljskog, Matematičkog i Filološkog fakulteta u Beogradu. Utvrđeno je da budući nastavnici razredne i predmetne nastave poseduju rodne stereotipe o interesovanjima i postignuću učenika u okviru različitih školskih predmeta. Budući nastavnici iz obe grupe smatraju da je lakše zainteresovati za većinu školskih predmeta devojčice nego dečake, kao i da su devojčice talentovanije za društveno-jezičke predmete, dok su dečaci talentovaniji za školske predmete iz prirodno-matematičke grupe. Kao tipično neuspešne u oblasti jezika, likovne i muzičke kulture budući nastavnici vide dečake, dok se neuspeh devojčica vezuje za nastavu fizike, informatike, tehničkog obrazovanja i fizičkog vaspitanja. Budući da rodni stereotipi nastavnika mogu da utiču na postignuće učenika, obrazovne i karijerne izbore, već tokom inicijalnog obrazovanja važno je kod budućih nastavnika probuditi svest o sadržaju i posledicama ovih uverenja i usmeriti određene akcije ka njihovom menjanju.