Gender matters: male and female ECEC practitioners’ perceptions and practices regarding children’s rough-and-tumble play (R&T)

The purpose of this study is to explore male and female ECEC practitioners' perceptions and practices regarding children's indoor and outdoor rough-and-tumble play (R&T).

The results show that ECEC practitioners acknowledge both positive and negative sides of R&T, and that they allow R&T more in outdoor environments than indoors. The researchers point out that the most surprising result from the questionnaire survey is that there are no significant gender differences among the pedagogical staff with regard to their approach to R&T. However, the results from the interviews indicate that the male practitioners were more positive towards R&T than female practitioners. Moreover, the results show that female practitioners changed their attitudes and practices towards R &T as a result of gaining more knowledge and experience of R&T through their male colleagues. According to the researchers, this has resulted in more focus on trying to adopt common understandings, rules and practices regarding R&T. Finally, the researchers point to the importance of gender diversity in the pedagogical staff in the development of surroundings that support children's possibilities for R&T in ECEC centres.

The study is based on a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews combined to provide quantitative data on patterns among a larger group of ECEC practitioners, and to gather greater in-depth insights into ECEC practitioners' attitudes, thoughts and actions concerning children's R&T on the basis of the gender of the ECEC practitioners. A total of 423 ECEC practitioners took part in the questionnaire survey, 381 were women (90.1% ) and 42 men (9.9% ). Three ECEC centres were selected for the interview part, and one man and one woman from each of the three centres were interviewed. The informants were both ECEC teachers and assistants. The interview guide consisted of questions regarding the children's R&T, and how the pedagogical staff dealt with this kind of play. The data material from the questionnaire survey was analysed in the statistics software programme SPSS 22, while the data material from the interviews was analysed thematically.

Storli, R., & Sandseter, E. B. H. (2017). Gender matters: male and female ECEC practitioners’ perceptions and practices regarding children’s rough-and-tumble play (R&T). European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 25(6), 838-853.