| Curriculum cannot be separated from the individuals who mediate it and the social, historical, and cultural contexts in which it occurs. Understanding curriculum is critical to understanding the ways in which students' gender identities are framed through the meanings that circulate in schools. This study is intended to explore the ways in which gender is accomplished in a preschool setting. My aim is to present a variety of gender messages that children are exposed to and participate in within this particular setting, their possible meanings, and the kinds of gender transactions they might generate. In so doing, I draw from a postmodern feminist framework that guides both my theoretical assumptions and research process. This is a qualitative case study. It took place in an early childhood setting, in which I was present for two years, approximately. I used observations, interviews, and document and artifact analysis to gather information. Two preschool classes and their four teachers participated in this study. Some of the findings that support previous research are: gender traditional performances are still present in early childhood settings; children are aware of the gender norms; children perform their gender in disruptive and normative ways; teachers impact children's gender identity through disruption and normalization. I also offer new elements for the discussion such as: silence and leaving the scene are ways these children react when the existing social order is challenged; children who conceive gender in binary terms tend to maintain other categories in place; naming "boys and girls" plays an important role in promoting gender beliefs and performances; children resist gender normalization; and children also show awareness of some issues related to sexuality and race. Through these findings, I highlight the complexity of relationships that take place in everyday school practice, and how the curriculum plays an important role in delivering messages about the feminine and masculine. These findings show the complexity of gender relations and performances as well as the significant role that the school curriculum plays in promoting and disrupting traditional gender performances, in creating a more inclusive world. |
