The Opinions of Male Pre-school Teacher Candidates on their Occupational Preferences: An Analysis in the Context of Gender

Year 2018, Issue: 13, 33 - 48, 25.01.2018

Özlem Haskan Avcı , Tolga Zencir , Alper Karababa Faruk Bozdağ Seray Betül Öztürk

Abstract

This study aims to examine the views of male pre-school teacher candidates
about the conditions influencing their occupational preferences in depth. For
the purpose, a questionnaire including demographic information and open-ended
questions was implemented to 112 male students in the pre-school education
department in the 2015-2016 academic year in Turkey. Open-ended questions were
asked regarding the causes of choosing the department, the difficulties those
encountered in the department selection process and their support, career plans
for the future and opinions about the proposals to candidatesdesiring to prefer
the deparment. As a result of the qualitative analysis of the reasons for the
participants’s pereference for the profession, the themes of the research shows
that “the bussiness oppurtunities which the profession provides” (n=57,
%=34.13), “being interesting in working with the children” (n=51, %=30.54), “being
interested in the teaching” (n=21, %=12.57), “prefer the suitable profession in
line with the University Entrance Exam score” (n=20, %=11.98), “the guidance of
the family and teacher” (n=11, %=6.59), and “uninformed preference” (n=7,
%=4.19). And also, it was revealed that the participants were those who
supported them (n=61=, %=41.50), obstructed persons (n=60, %=40.82) and those
who did not have an influence (n=26, %=17.68) when they preferred the
profession. In the analysis of the participants' career plans, the themes were
determined as being a teacher in the state institution (n=62, %=37.35), in the
private sector (n=5, %=3), being a school director (n=38, %=22.90), establish a
private pre-school education institution  (n=28, %=16.87), having an academic career
(n=28, %=16.87) and having no certain goals (n=5, %=3). In the qualitative
analysis of the participants’ suggestions to candidates preferring the pre-school
education, the themes, such as those who suggest choosing in terms of the
interest and the ability (n=74, %=47.74), those who suggest being considered
independently of gender (n=62, %=40), those who do not suggest the department
for men (n=15, %=9.68), and those who are irresolute (n=4, %=2.58), have been
found out. The results have been discussed together with the findings of the
similar studies in terms of the gender and the beneficial suggestions for the
literature have been made.

Keywords

Pre-school education, early childhood, male pre-school teacher candidates, gender, male gender roles, career choice

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