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WHY DO MEN TEACH?

Scots Research Papers no. 3

October 2014

Stuart PearsonThe Scots College, Sydney

Scots Research Papers is an occasional publication of The Scots College Research Centre.

2014 © All rights reserved

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Scots Research Papers, no. 3 (October 2014)

Why Do Men Teach? Stuart Pearson The Scots College, Sydney


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Abstract

In the context of today’s dearth of male teachers, not only in NSW and

Australia but also internationally, this paper explores the reasons why

men choose to become teachers and seeks to determine whether these

reasons are ‘Intrinsic’ or ‘Extrinsic’ motivators. In addition, the notion

of male teachers gravitating towards ‘male appropriate’ niches in

teaching is examined to determine the validity of this phenomenon.

The problems male teachers face will also be investigated. Each of

these issues is explored in the context of The Scots College, Sydney

[TSC] and informed by the survey responses of 59 male teachers, 9 of

whom also participated in a focus group. It is hoped that the findings

will inform the establishment of support structures at TSC to support

existing male teachers and attract men to teaching.

Introduction Along with the first organized schools in ancient times, men have been heavily involved in teaching. However, this is a trend that has rapidly shifted since the early 1900s as women entered the profession in increasingly large numbers (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1909; Blount, 2006). This trend has become even more evident in recent times as numbers of male teachers have declined sharply over the last two decades. This is a phenomenon well documented internationally in both the media and literature, sparking calls to redress the balance (Smith, 2004). Warwick et al. refer to a ‘moral panic’ and ‘societal alarm’ at the lack of male teachers in schools (Warwick, Warwick, & Hopper, 2012, p. 56). Today males account for only 39.8% of teachers in NSW public secondary schools and only 16% in NSW public primary schools (NSW Department of Education and Communities, 2013). This is down from 49.5% and 25.4% respectively in 1991 (House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Training [HRSCET], 2002). The Australian government has responded to this lack of male teachers with the ‘Inquiry Into Male Teacher Numbers’ (Commonwealth Government of Australia, 2001). The Sex Discrimination Amendment (Teaching Profession) Bill 2004 called for male-only scholarships to be awarded to attract men into teaching. The amendment was rejected amidst concerns about both its effectiveness and its potential to undermine anti-discrimination legislation (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2004). Researchers have tried to determine why men are

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not becoming teachers (Cushman, 2005; Skelton, 2009; M. E. Thornton & Bricheno, 2006). However, if real change is to be made it is preferable to avoid this ‘deficit perspective’ and understand what motivates a man to teach and join a profession now considered a female domain (W. J. Martino, 2008; Skelton, 2002).

Literature Review The Impact of Male Teachers Having recognised a lack of male teachers, researchers have looked to examine the impact this has on schools and students. There is evidence to suggest boys are underperforming at school (C. Collins, Kenway, & McLeod, 2000; C. W. Collins, McLeod, & Kenway, 2000; Skelton, 2002; West, 2004). A number of researchers have linked boys’ underperformance to a lack of male teachers suggesting that boys are not encountering enough positive male role models who eschew the traditional ‘alpha-male’ stereotype and model a man who might be more sensitive and intellectual. In doing so, it is not only boys but girls as well who are benefiting from a broader view of what it means to be a man (W. Martino & Frank, 2006; W. J. Martino, 2008; McGrath & Sinclair, 2013; Mills, Martino, & Lingard, 2007; West, 2004). Whilst Martino and Frank see the benefits of male teachers in role modelling and understanding boys’ educational needs, they rightly question the notion of male role models as a panacea for the ills of boys’ education, in what they argue to be a feminized education system (2006). In contrast, Skelton (2002) rejects the idea of feminized schools. She asserts that this idea is based on a flawed notion of sex role theory in that males and females only act in stereotypically gendered ways. However, where there are few or no male teachers, it is difficult to imagine females conveying the curriculum in an equitable way to both genders particularly since there are ‘characteristically male ways of learning’ (West, 2004 p.6). Moving beyond curriculum, West (2004) suggests a lack of male teachers may also be contributing to behaviour problems in boys. The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Training [HRSCET] documents that approximately 80% of student suspensions and expulsions are of boys and the majority of these for violent conduct. Their report also suggests that these disciplinary measures ‘appear to be closely correlated to boys’


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disengagement from school’ (HRSCET, 2002 p. 16). A recent study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [NICHD] Early Child Care Research Network (as cited in Martin, 2013) that found that children with involved fathers had fewer behaviour problems and more social skills. Thus, with few men in schools and significant numbers of absent fathers, boys are not seeing the kind of educated men who solve problems with their words and thoughts and not with their fists (Carrington & Skelton, 2003; Mills et al., 2007; Moors, 2010; West, 2004) It appears that male teachers impact students most strongly with intangible benefits such as role-modelling and breaking down male stereotypes rather than significant differences in their pedagogy (C. Collins, Kenway, & McLeod, 2000; C. W. Collins, McLeod, & Kenway, 2000; Mills et al., 2007; McGrath & Sinclair, 2013) The Reasons Men Teach: Comparable Studies There have been a number of studies in recent years into the reasons why people teach. Such studies attempt to categorise these reasons into either three areas – ‘altruistic’, ‘intrinsic’ and ‘extrinsic’ (Kyriacou & Coulthard, 2000; Kyriacou, Hultgren, & Stephens, 1999; Thomson, Turner, & Nietfeld, 2012) – or two: ‘intrinsic’ and ‘extrinsic’ (Richardson & Watt, 2005; Skelton, 2003), incorporating ‘altruistic’ reasons into the ‘intrinsic’ category. Thornton, Bricheno, & Reid, (2002) use the terms ‘pull’ and ‘push’ to categorise the reasons both men and women choose to teach. These aforementioned studies found that ‘intrinsic’ motivations were more significant in the respondents choosing teaching as a career. Interestingly, Thornton et al. (2002) found that 43% of the male interviewees reported a

very negative view of their previous career before teaching. This response suggests, first, that a number of male teachers come to the profession later in life and second, that there are reasons men do not go into teaching straight from high school. Most probably many of these reasons are related to a lack of male peers and society’s view of teaching as a feminine profession (Wood, 2012). Skelton's (2003) results suggested that although it was thought that men and women make equally good primary school teachers, that men are better suited to older students and women more suited to younger students. Richardson &


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Watt (2005) indicate that both men and women indicated similar reasons for wanting to teach. The researchers also commented on the diversity of the undergraduate backgrounds of the respondents that hints at teaching as a profession appealing to more mature people with greater life and work experience. Thomson, Turner, & Nietfeld's (2012) work showed that none of

the respondents gave only one type of reason for teaching but each had a mix of responses of each type (altruistic, intrinsic and extrinsic). These studies provide a useful starting point to investigate the reasons why men teach. For the most part, they focus on upper secondary students and pre-service teachers highlighting a considerable limitation. It could be argued these potential teachers are more influenced by society’s preconceptions of teaching rather than, in comparison to a practising teacher, having a first-hand understanding of the profession. In addition, there were relatively few male respondents thus having the potential to lower the significance of the findings. These limitations emphasise the need for a study that includes practising male teachers to reflect the views of teachers who have succeeded in establishing themselves in the profession despite the gender imbalance. Does Gender Imbalance Matter To Male Teachers? Being part of a minority, male teachers can feel isolated and excluded in a school environment. As a result many male teacher tend to gravitate toward ‘male appropriate’ niches such as the teaching of secondary students, or specialist subjects such as PDHPE and Mathematics (Smith, 2004). Taking a slightly different perspective, Smith (2004) explores whether male teachers might even be advantaged by their scarcity. Williams (2013) terms this phenomenon the ‘glass escalator’. Mahony, Hextall, & Menter (2004) confirm this view as they note how many men are in school leadership roles despite their scarcity in the professional overall. Whilst this is a positive for men, unfortunately, it is another way men are drawn away from classroom teaching. Society frequently questions a man’s ability to properly care for children and whether men, in wanting to care for children, have a propensity for paedophilia or sexual deviance (Coulter & McNay, 1993; W. J. Martino, 2008; Smedley & Pepperell, 2000; Smith, 2004; Wilkins & Gamble, 2012). Thus the issues men face must have an impact on their appearance in classrooms. On one hand, men are being drawn away into leadership or specialist niches, and on the other


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hand, they are being questioned as to whether they should be in the classroom at all.

Problem and Justification for the Project Policy-makers in Australia and other countries have made it clear that redressing the balance of male to female teachers is important (Moors, 2010; Smedley & Pepperell, 2000). In support, researchers cite reasons such as role modelling (Martino, 2008), better understanding boys as learners (West, 2004) and helping develop in students (both boys and girls) a broader understanding of masculinity (McGrath & Sinclair, 2013). Thus to attract men to teaching and retain them, a study of the motivations of male teachers is significant if initiatives are to be created to achieve this aim. With many researchers asking, “Why aren’t there more men in teaching?” this study is important in building a more positive perspective by exploring the motivations that bring men into this female-dominated profession. The key investigative questions for this project are:

(1) What motivates men to choose teaching? (2) What areas are male teachers gravitating towards? (3) What are the key problems for male teachers? (4) What can be done at The Scots College [TSC] to better support existing

male teachers and attract pre-service male teachers?

Hypothesis Despite so few men teaching and significant issues faced by those who do become teachers, it is proposed that men make a deliberate decision to teach for ‘intrinsic’ reasons and that the impact of ‘extrinsic’ factors is small. Men gravitate towards particular niches within teaching that may be considered more ‘male appropriate’.

Methodology

Approach 1. Survey with Questionnaire (Quantitative approach) An online survey was designed using 5-Point Likert items to gauge the strength of feeling the respondents have for each statement. Likert response items are


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closed-ended, ensuring responses are standard and trends identifiable. However, they may return a ‘central tendency bias’ as respondents avoid extreme responses. In this case the ‘neutral’ response was considered important in informing the respondents’ strength of feeling. The survey was designed drawing from the work of Lewis, Butcher, and Donnan (1999) and pilot tested on five male teachers (See Appendix A for Questionnaire).

2. Focus Groups (Qualitative approach) Two focus groups were formed to collect additional detail to flesh out the survey responses through open-ended questioning and the interactivity of the group setting. Only a small number of volunteers were present at each session (four and five volunteers each). Each group was designed to be as homogenous as possible so that the volunteers were comfortable sharing in such an open forum (Arthur, Waring, Coe, & Hedges, 2012). Each focus group met once for a period of approximately 45 minutes (See Appendix B for Focus Group Questions). Site and population selection Males working at TSC comprised the population for this study. With the available information it was impossible to separate teaching from non-teaching staff. Thus all 404 male staff registered at TSC were emailed the survey. The email (see Appendix C) asked the potential respondents to exclude themselves if they did not fit the requested criteria. This sample of the population was designed to be purposive – with only male teachers being surveyed. Participation in both the survey and focus groups was voluntary thereby creating a convenience sample. The site chosen was The Scots College, Bellevue Hill, Sydney.

Data collection methods www.kwiksurveys.com was used to collect and collate the data in a mix of table and graphs. TSC Marketing and Communications Department [Marcom] distributed an email containing the link to the Online Survey as well as links to a Privacy Policy (Appendix D) and Information Letter (Appendix E). Focus groups were established from a small group of volunteers. The focus groups met for 45minutes and were prompted with a range of prepared questions (Appendix B) and some impromptu questions fuelled by the group’s discussion. Both sessions were filmed overtly. Participants provided a signed consent form and accompanying Information statement and privacy policy (Appendix F)

Method of data analysis


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In order to ‘simplify large amounts of data in a sensible way’, as suggested by Trochim (2006), a descriptive statistical analysis was used. This was achieved by assigning an arbitrary score (1 to 5) to each step in the Likert scale. An average of these scores was calculated for each response. This average was weighted to account for the different number of responses for each statement within each question. The weighted average gave a sense of the overall strength of response - the higher the score, it can be generalised, the more correct or applicable each statement was within the population. The data collected was to identify the reasons most common for men in choosing teaching as a career. The data also looked at a number of factors that may have influenced their career choice. Responses from the focus group were used to form a narrative around the raw data and provide insight into the thoughts of a small sample of the respondents.

Ethical considerations Consent Permission to conduct the survey was sought from Dean’s Research Committee as per TSC protocol. Potential respondents were emailed with an explanation of the study, privacy policy and a link to the online survey. The survey included an invitation to participate in an interview. Electing to participate in each of the survey or focus group implied consent. However, focus group participants also provided a signed consent form with accompanying information statement and privacy policy.

Privacy / Confidentiality The invitation email contained a privacy policy in line with current legislation. The survey was anonymous. Use of kwiksurveys.com meant that respondents were anonymous. The focus group consent included a privacy policy that the interviewees were asked to read and sign indicating their consent. The interviewees were not identified by name. They were identified with a pseudonym for the purposes of this report.

Findings Survey Response Rates


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The survey was sent to 404 males on staff at TSC working in various capacities across the college. Of these staff, 150 opened the email (45.73%) and 59 responded to the survey (17.99% of successfully delivered emails). Who Responded? The respondents were generally older with 50.8% aged in the 31-50 years old bracket. They were experienced teachers as 76.2% had been teaching 6 or more years. More than half had been teaching at TSC a relatively short time with 59.3% having worked at TSC less than 6 years. The majority (59.4%) were Senior School teachers from either the Bellevue Hill or Glengarry (Kangaroo Valley) campus. Most were actively teaching in the classroom or as subject specialists (71.2%) rather than in leadership or non-teaching roles. Only 3.4% were from the Bellevue Hill Early Learning Centre and the Rose Bay Early Years Centre campuses. The Focus Groups Two focus groups were formed; one was comprised exclusively of Preparatory School teachers (Focus Group ‘B’) and the other group was comprised of four staff involved in leadership across the college and an additional Preparatory School teacher who was unable to attend the other group’s session (Focus Group ‘A’). To ensure anonymity, the members of each group have been given pseudonyms as follows:

• Group A: Ken, Peter, Cameron, Mike and Nick • Group B: Matt, Wilson, Steve and Harry

What Did Men Say About Becoming a Teacher? A significant number (35.3%) indicated that they began teacher training straight out of high school or after a gap year. However, the largest group (54.9%) either had a different career first or transferred from another degree. This was true of most of Focus Group A: Ken had worked in finance first, Mike began another degree and took a gap year before teaching and Nick was originally an accountant. Peter went into teaching after completing another degree first and then added on a teaching qualification and Cameron was the only one to go straight into teaching. In Group B: Matt had worked in marketing, Wilson in retail, Steve in engineering and only Harry went into teacher training straight out of high school.


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The survey asked respondents to select from a range of statements and indicate which of them best described their reasons for becoming a teacher. As Fig. 1 illustrates there was a fairly even spread across all the available reasons in the ‘Agree’ or ‘Strongly Agree’ categories suggesting that the respondents offered a variety of reasons for becoming a teacher. The strongest reason was ‘to help people’. This was closely followed by the fact that the respondents ‘enjoyed working with young people / children’. The weakest response was to be ‘felt called as part of their personal Christian mission’. The focus groups also expressed some of these views. Steve explains:

I did six months of volunteer teaching in Africa. I was teaching division

and their eyes would light up and they'd race away and grab what little

paper we had wanting to do it. I knew straight away I was hooked and I

wanted to leave my profession [engineering] and go off and be a

teacher. Knowing that you could help somebody made me want to do it.

Matt also had a career before teaching. He relates:

I started studying Marketing [after high school] so went into that field.

The reason why, after a couple of years, I changed across to education

was primarily that part of my role was running development days so

there was a lot of computer and email work but the enjoyable part of

the job was relating to the kids and parents.

Wilson saw being a role model as being important as a reason for teaching:

They [the students] come out of their time at school thinking it didn't

matter whether I [they] had a male or female teacher. The teachers

themselves have broken down that stereotype …. I think that it is

important for male teachers to be, not necessarily to be conscious of it,

but to see that their students and the parents can see them as a role

model.


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Fig. 1 Reasons for becoming a teacher The second question was designed to explore contributing factors in the decision to become a teacher. This question asked respondents to indicate which of the available responses were contributing factors. The bulk of responses fell in the ‘Neutral’, ‘Disagree’ and ‘Strongly Disagree’ categories (Fig. 2). The strongest response indicated that the respondents thought of ‘job security’ when deciding to teach. ‘Lots of holidays’ was also a contributing factor, albeit marginally, with the weighted average showing a slightly better than neutral response. The weakest response was for ‘a short working day’. In the focus groups, Matt reflected on the influence of his Year 5 teacher and the impact of teachers’ holidays on his decision to teach:

I remember my Year 5 teacher was the one I really respected that was

male. He was also part of my reason for going into teaching as well. The

pros [of teaching] are that internal joy that I get from it and the benefits

are the holidays and things but I would still be prepared to do it 48

weeks a year. I'd still take teaching - it's not about the holidays.

Harry thought that the initial job conditions of teachers are attractive to those considering it as a career:

You’ve gotta love kids but the starting pay and holidays are attractive

too. But as you go on, your pay doesn’t go up that much and

experienced teachers earn less than their mates.


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Ken highlighted the fact that most teachers aren’t in the industry for money:

I went in [to Finance Broking] and the money did pay well. It was quite a

fun lifestyle for a young twenty-year old but then I realised that life was

more than money and everything else. The satisfaction teaching gave

me when I was on a gap year was what life was about and serving

others and I’ve never looked back ever since.

Fig. 2 Contributing factors to becoming a teacher Next, respondents were questioned about other influences that may have impacted upon their decision to teach. With reference to Fig. 3, the respondents mostly ‘Disagreed’ or ‘Strongly Disagreed’ with the available options. Although, clearly, they believed that ‘they would be suited to teaching’ and that ‘it was a career they felt they understood’. The weakest responses were for ‘they wanted to study something else but their marks weren’t good enough’. The weighted average indicated that the respondents tended to ‘Disagree’ with these contributing factors. Within the focus groups, Harry explained how his desire to teach was influenced by childhood experiences:

Well, I always wanted to teach. I had younger cousins who I spend a lot

of time with and I just relate well to kids. I went to Newington as a

boarder and was inspired by the teachers there.

Cameron talked about the influence two key male teachers had on him:


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My love of teaching really started in Primary school. I had two male

teachers, Year 5 and Year 6 and I remember their lessons to this day.

They took an interest in us and used to come and watch us play rugby

on the weekend and they really made a difference.

Fig. 3 Other influences on becoming a teacher Which Grades Are Men Teaching? The next section of the survey investigated the grades that men were teaching and those that they preferred to teach to see if there was any gender bias towards or away from certain age groups. Currently at TSC, most respondents are either teaching Years 9 to 12, or are teaching Years 5 and 6. The number of respondents teaching in each stage generally declines as the students become younger (see Fig. 4). Wilson looked at his own experience from 40-50 years ago compared to his time as a teacher at TSC and the distribution of teachers:

If I go back to my own time at primary school, we had two males out of

twelve or thirteen teachers. Now it's probably…umm… but its a bit hard

to say here because the balance is different. The balance here is that

there is a very male dominated role in the upper echelons of the school

whereas at the lower end… we've had one male teacher in the ELC in

whole time I’ve been here and he came and went over two years and

everyone saw that, and even he saw that as being unusual.


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Fig. 4 Grade(s) currently taught At TSC, teachers seem reasonably well-matched to the grade they teach as Fig. 5 (preferred grade) is similar to Fig. 4 (grade currently taught), however there appears to be a stronger response for the higher grades.

Fig. 5 Preferred grade(s) Which Areas Are Suitable For Male Teachers? The aim here was to see if male teachers saw some areas as being more attractive to male teachers. The trend of responses showed that the respondents generally approved of men teaching every subject area listed. The strongest responses indicated that Mathematics and PDHPE were equally the most suitable areas for male teachers. The weakest response to a subject area was Dance.


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Fig. 6 The suitability of a range of subjects for male teachers What are the Issues Facing Male Teachers? The most important issue indicated was that ‘family and friends reminded them how many holidays teacher get’ with 68% indicating that this had happened at least several times per year if not as frequently as once per month or more. Clearly, men were also concerned with Child Protection issues as 46% of respondents indicated that they had ‘actively avoided being alone with students due to Child Protection Issues’ several times per year up to once a month or more. Similarly, respondents had ‘bone out of their way to avoid touching students due to child protection issues’ with 51.02% encountering this at least several times per year if not more frequently. Others suggested that ‘their family and friends did not understand how hard they worked at school’ (58%) and had been expected to ‘be a role model for boys’ (40%). While a handful of respondents indicated that they had ‘Been given funny looks from parents or received comments about teaching younger students’, this was the category with the weakest response with 88% having never encountered this issue. Similarly, the respondents had rarely ‘been considered effeminate for being a teacher’ with 78% indicating that they had never encountered this issue. Harry explains one of the issues he has dealt with:

I think a lot of people look down on teachers. They wonder, “What’s

wrong with you? Teaching’s not a proper job.” Some of my friends,


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especially my wife’s sister, still hassle me about the holidays even after

all these years. They don’t realize how hard you work.

Wilson talked about there being barriers to men who might like to teach younger children:

I think that [only ever having had one male teacher in the ELC at TSC]

meant that the really young boys need a stereotypical female sort of

role… I don't know why - maybe it's just tradition. Some traditions in

places are very hard to break and this is probably a good example here

[at TSC].

He goes on to explain:

…if someone said they wanted to be a teacher of really young students

in say an ELC, Kindy or even younger. There is possibly, and I'm not

saying that there is, that there is possibly a suspicion in the community

as to why someone would want to go into that… probably sexual

suspicion.

Wilson also alluded to society viewing male teachers in some areas as homosexual or effeminate:

I mean in my case as an art teacher too, that had another layer to it

because there are certain connotations [being homosexual or

effeminate] that used to go with primary school teachers as well as

being an art teacher. And hopefully I break down that barrier without

being the alpha male by letting the boys see you can appreciate art and

other things in life in almost a softer way. I always find it interesting we

have boys who are creative and musical but they can also be in the top

sporting teams.

Steve looks at society’s view of male teachers and the challenge he faced changing careers:

There are social stigmas about males in primary school… am I man

enough to make this step into a not-so -manly environment? Because it

was a primary school teaching which seemed to be dominated by

females so I think it’s important to recognise, you have to be quite

tough to make that decision.


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Peter looked to the impact of the media:

The perception of teachers in the media is quite negative... bumbling

and not respected. It was really different 30 years ago. It started with a

campaign for more money [for teachers] and society has had a

backlash.

Limitations This study was limited by the relatively small sample of respondents. In addition, choosing the staff at TSC limits the sample to male private school teachers. This raises the question: are the experiences of teachers at TSC typical of Australian schools? Indeed, what about the impact of other factors? For example, does the ethnicity or SES of respondents impact the reasons they became teachers? In order to address this limitation, it must be assumed that the sample of respondents is a snapshot of male teachers in Australia with a view to expand the scope of this research should the opportunity arise. Due to the research methodology chosen, the results may have been affected by the opt-in nature of both the survey and the interviews. There was a chance that respondents with less common, or less ‘acceptable’ reasons for teaching would opt-out. Additionally, With 59 responses from 404 invitations is must be questioned whether the results truly represent the male teachers at TSC. However, the respondents came from each section of the college creating a broad cross-section of the population. Due to technological limitations, not all the men emailed were teaching staff. It was hoped that the having the email contain text requesting responses from teaching staff or non-teaching staff with teacher training would overcome this. Furthermore, 76 (18.81%) emails bounced due to incorrect email addresses. The focus groups were relatively small which reduced the amount of interaction between participants. Also, there was only limited time available and not all the planned questions were delivered. Furthermore, it was not practical to hide the video camera and so respondents were acutely aware of its presence thus inhibiting potential spontaneity and more ‘extreme’ responses.

Discussion


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The positive response from the men at TSC about their attitude to teaching was overwhelming. Their reasons for teaching came out of a strong desire to work with and help young people and to support them in enjoying coming to school. Men at TSC clearly want to make a difference and improve access to education. There is also a strong sense of wanting to be of service to others and provide a role model for those who may not have positive male influences in their lives. At the same time, the focus groups suggested that the male teachers at TSC did not feel any pressure to do so and just accepted it as part of their role as a teacher realising that to teach boys role-modelling is part of the job. The respondents clearly made a conscious and deliberate decision to teach. This was reflected in the large proportion who had moved from another career or area of study into teaching – a trend that Cushman also found in her New Zealand study as well as in other studies internationally (2005). To account for this it may be that while men are initially constrained by the prevailing view that teaching is a women’s profession, as they become more mature or find themselves in a career that does not satisfy their desire to teach, men are more willing to enter the profession. The implication of this is that there must be a number of men who become stuck in their original profession thus depleting the potential numbers of male teachers. The limited impact of extrinsic influences also pointed to teaching being a deliberate choice for the respondents. Nine out of the twelve extrinsic influences were utterly rejected. The remaining three influences hinted at some pragmatic, extrinsic considerations coming into play on the part of the respondents. Respondents expressed it was a career they felt they understood and would be well suited to. Teaching also seemed to suit their family life. In addition, the respondents rejected many of the extrinsic motivations in their decision to teach. Job security and lots of holidays were the only considerations that seemed to play a part in the respondents’ decision to teach. This result further supports the intrinsic motivation in the reasons men choose to teach. In choosing to teach, men at TSC tended to prefer teaching older students. This is reflected in much of the literature which suggests that younger years are highly gendered and reflect a motherly, nurturing atmosphere which excludes men (King, 1994; Sargent, 2005; Skelton, 2003; Smedley & Pepperell, 2000; Smith, 2004). However, the men at TSC considered all subject areas highly suitable for male teachers. Whilst on the surface this suggests there aren’t male appropriate niches in teaching, it would have been informative to find out


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exactly where men at TSC are currently teaching and compare the numbers. It may be the case that these men possess a philosophy of equality and a belief in non-gendered subjects, but the reality may be quite different with men gravitating towards traditionally male-dominated subjects such as PDHPE, Maths and Science. Interestingly, although the data was strongly positive, the weakest responses were in Dance, Preschool and Infants teaching which are all traditional female domains. From another perspective, it may even be argued that TSC, a boys-only school with a large number of male staff is, in itself, a niche for male teachers (Smith, 2004). On the negative side, men at TSC have encountered some issues in their teaching that may impact their longevity in the profession or may impact the decisions of other men who may wish to become teachers. Child protection issues weigh heavily on their minds. Men at TSC actively avoid touching and spending one-on-one time with their students and while it is sensible to do so in today’s climate of suspicion, one wonders whether female teachers have the same concerns. Or is it society’s view that a male who wants to teach must be a paedophile or sexual deviant? (Coulter & McNay, 1993; W. J. Martino, 2008; Smith, 2004) Another issue is that family and friends of the men at TSC are not as supportive as they might be. They do not understand how hard the men at TSC teach nor do they understand the longer holidays that teachers get. There is also some pressure to be a role model for boys and while many male teachers are happy to take this on, it could be argued that this is not their core business as a teacher and certainly not a role imposed on women (W. Martino & Frank, 2006). In summary, the men at TSC possess an intrinsic desire to teach and, while the influence of extrinsic factors is small in comparison, schools and teacher training bodies must still be aware that these other factors still have a part to play in the reasons why men choose to teach. Men at TSC reflect a philosophy of gender equality in the choice of grade and subjects they teach but the data clearly shows there are many more men teaching the older students. Currently, for a man to survive in teaching there must be a desire that transcends the mundane and pragmatic considerations and the courage to tackle gender stereotypes.

Implications / Recommendations


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This study has confirmed many of the findings in the literature by showing that men teach for primarily intrinsic reasons. Therefore at TSC, work needs to be done to promote teaching as a career option to attract more men to the profession. However, as Kyriacou et al. (1999) suggests, some attention must also be paid to the extrinsic motivations as well. Fig. 7 outlines some proposed strategies that TSC may consider implementing in future.

Fig. 7 Possible strategies to gain and retain male teachers at TSC


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Appendix A – Online Survey Why Do Men Teach? Survey Biographic Information


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27

Reasons for Teaching


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29

Issues in Teaching


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31

Focus group


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Appendix B – Focus Group Questions


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Appendix C - Email


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Appendix D – Privacy Policy


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THE SCOTS COLLEGE MASTER OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

Why Do Men Teach? Privacy Policy

Your privacy is of the utmost importance. Your answers to the survey questions are collated

automatically by www.kwiksurveys.com so it is not possible to identify you from your responses.

If you would like to gain access to, or correct the information we hold about you, please contact

Stuart Pearson via email on [email protected]. Also, a copy of the final research paper will

be available upon request from December 2013.

What information do we collect?

We collect your responses to the survey. Also, if you would like to volunteer for an interview, we will

collect:

1. Your full name, and

2. Your email address.

Why do we collect it?

We collect this information so we can contact you if you are selected to participate in the interview

process. The interview responses and survey data are collected for the purpose of analysis in relation

to the research project entitled: ‘Why Do Men Teach?’ undertaken as part of the Master of Educational

Leadership Program through Sydney University.

How is this information held?

This information is held in the www.kwiksurveys.com database. Their Privacy Policy can be found

here: http://kwiksurveys.com/?p=terms.


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Your consent

By answering the survey, you consent to us collecting your responses. If you would like to participate

in the interview process, you consent to us collecting your name and email address so that we can

contact you. Additionally, if you are selected and agree to be interviewed, you consent to us

recording your interview responses and which may be quoted in the research paper entitled: ‘Why Do

Men Teach?’ undertaken as part of the Master of Educational Leadership Program through Sydney

University. If we quote your interview responses, you will be referred to by a pseudonym in the

research paper to protect your identity.

Who do we share this information with?

The information we collect from you will not be made available or disclosed to any third party. This

information will only be used for the purposes of this research project.

If you do not provide your name and email?

That is fine – we will not be able to contact you about participating in the interview process.


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Appendix E – Information Letter

Why Do Men Teach?

A Research Project for The Scots College Master of Educational Leadership Program

Here at The Scots College, we are lucky to be among many brother teachers but I am sure

many of us have experienced being one of only a handful of males in a school!

In 2013, Australian students are much less likely to be taught by a male than ever before.

The number of male teachers has been steadily declining over the last two decades. Men

represent just over 2/5 of Secondary teachers and 1/5 of Primary teachers.

So what makes us different?

Why are we teaching when so many men choose not to?

This research project seeks to examine some of the reasons and influencing factors

behind our choice to teach with a view to influencing teacher training to better support

and cater for males and to raise the issue of establishing suitable support structures for

males in a female-dominated profession.

If you are in a teaching role (or have teacher training but do not currently teach, for

example a non-teaching leadership role), you can participate in two ways:

1. Answering a short, 2-3 minute online survey.

2. Volunteering to be part of a focus group to discuss and explore some of the common

issues arising from the study.


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Privacy Note

Your anonymity and confidentiality is assured. The survey does not collect your name.

Members of the focus group will be identified under a pseudonym for the purposes of the

discussion paper. Please refer to the Privacy Policy attachment in the email for details.

Please note that this project has been approved by Mr Peter Moulds and Mr John Crerar.

Please email me if you have any questions or concerns at [email protected].

A copy of my final paper will be available upon request late Term 4.

I look forward to your participation!

Mr Stuart Pearson

Year 6 Class Teacher


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Appendix F – Consent

PARTICIPANT CONSENT FORM

I, ...........................................................................................[PRINT NAME], give consent to my

participation in the research project

TITLE: ‘Why Do Men Teach?’

In giving my consent I acknowledge that:

1. The procedures required for the project and the time involved have been explained to

me, and any questions I have about the project have been answered to my satisfaction.

2. I have read the Participant Information Statement and have been given the opportunity

to discuss the information and my involvement in the project with the researcher/s.

3. I understand that being in this study is completely voluntary – I am not under any

obligation to consent.

4. I understand that my involvement is strictly confidential. I understand that any research

data gathered from the results of the study may be published however no information

about me will be used in any way that is identifiable.

5. I understand that I can withdraw from the study at any time, without affecting my

relationship with the researcher(s) or the University of Sydney, or The Scots College

now or in the future.

6. I understand that I can stop my participation in the focus group at any time if I do not

wish to continue; however as it is a group discussion it will not be possible to exclude

individual data to that point.

7. I consent to being video-recorded.


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............................ ...................................................

Signature

............................ ....................................................

Please PRINT name

..................................................................................

Date

Documents

WHY DO MEN TEACH?springcms.s3.amazonaws.com/2014.tsc.nsw.edu.au/attachments... · WHY DO MEN TEACH? Scots Research Papers ... (Teaching Profession) Bill 2004 ... 2013). Thus to attract