Bearded mothers and breasted fathers: Paradox or vision? The influence of gender and epistemology on the pedagogy of two beginning teachers.

摘要

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the influence of epistemological beliefs and gender orientation on the pedagogy of two beginning teachers. The key informants were chosen from a group of preservice education majors who had participated in research project on epistemology and teacher education the final year of their teacher preparation. They were selected because both, a male and a female, espoused an endogenic epistemology and a holistic, feminist approach toward pedagogical practice.;This study was conducted using naturalistic inquiry methods. During the initial year of the study, data collection consisted of individual taped interviews throughout the year, written work turned in as class assignments, and reader response and teaching journals. Data during the second and third year of the study were obtained primarily through participant observations and structured/unstructured interviews. Data analysis followed an emergent design to allow patterns and questions to emerge and be reshaped in light of an ongoing constant-comparative analysis of emerging patterns to additional data collection.;Findings were presented in case studies of the two key informants. Themes that emerged in their explicitly stated beliefs were explored in light of instructional practices observed during their first two years of teaching. Patterns in written work and interviews indicating an endogenic epistemological stance included the personal construction of knowledge, the validation of multiple truths and realities, and the role of the teacher as co-constructor of knowledge with students. Themes indicating elements of a feminist orientation to pedagogy included a focus on the personal and particular, student empowerment, and the creation of a safe and caring classroom community. As they moved into full-time teaching positions, both Sybil and Michael worked to translate their beliefs into practice, and it is evident that those beliefs did affect their approaches to instructional practices. However, the limitations and restrictions of the mandated curriculum, as well as their embodied history, also affected the degree to which beliefs were translated into practice.;This study was situated within research on epistemology, feminist pedagogy, and the influence of preservice teachers' beliefs about knowledge and instruction on practice. Implications for teacher education were also discussed.