Early Childhood Teachers’ Views and Self-Reported Practices About Stereotypical Gender Role Messages in Children’s Cartoons
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33308/26674874.2025393831Keywords:
Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Teacher, Children’s Cartoons, Gender Role PerceptionAbstract
This study aims to examine early childhood teachers' views on the gender role messages in children's cartoons and their effect on children's perception of gender. Additionally, it aims to determine how teachers address these effects in the classroom environment. The participants of this study are 25 early childhood teachers serving in public schools in Niğde Province. The study was conducted as a phenomenological study, one of the qualitative research methods. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. The results reveal that majority of the participants believe that children's cartoons include stereotypical gender messages, such as depicting female characters in domestic roles and male characters in more prominent and active roles. Furthermore, teachers observe the effects of the gender messages in cartoons on children's free time activities, consumption behaviors, gender beliefs, and peer relationships. Despite observing the effects of children's cartoons on children's perception of gender, many teachers do not interfere with these effects in the classroom environment.
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