Dialogic identities of male primary teachers in the UK: agency to nuance responses to gender stereotypes

Woodfine, Corinne ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4340-9135 (2024) Dialogic identities of male primary teachers in the UK: agency to nuance responses to gender stereotypes. Gender and Education. ISSN 0954-0253

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Abstract

This paper explores the production and performance of male primary early career teachers’ (ECTs) dialogic identities within the feminised world of the primary school. Combining a ‘Figured Worlds’ lens with ‘gender heteroglossia’ supports a discourse analysis of five male primary teachers’ narratives of becoming and being a teacher in the UK. Applying these theoretical constructs to data gathered from semi-structured interviews over three years helps to uncover the meaning that male ECTs construct about themselves and others as they navigate new and difficult contexts. Findings reveal that through the manipulation of cultural resources, including dominant gender discourses, there are opportunities within personal agency for these men to begin to create a more nuanced response to stereotypical gender identities and performances.