Andrea Perales-Fernández-de-Gamboa, María Orcasitas-Vicandi, Nahia Idoiaga-Mondragon

Educating Agents for Change: Preservice Teachers’ Attitudes towards Gender Equality

Introduction

Educating agents for change: preservice teachers’ attitudes towards gender equality. Actitudes de futuros docentes (UPV/EHU) ante la igualdad de género. Revela diferencias por sexo. Urge formación en currículo para una educación inclusiva.

Abstract

Este estudio examina las actitudes del profesorado en formación hacia la igualdad de género en la Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU), centrándose en las diferencias entre mujeres y hombres en tres dimensiones de la construcción de género: sociocultural, relacional y personal. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 230 futuros docentes (174 mujeres, 56 hombres; M = 21,3 años) matriculados en Educación Infantil y Primaria. Las actitudes se evaluaron mediante una versión adaptada de la escala de García-Pérez et al. (2010), compuesta por 50 ítems con una escala Likert de 5 puntos. Los datos se analizaron mediante análisis de varianza unidireccional (ANOVA), que reveló diferencias significativas de género en seis ítems de la subescala sociocultural (p. ej., actitudes hacia el contenido sexista en los materiales de enseñanza, uso de lenguaje inclusivo, percepciones de la capacidad de conducir y opiniones sobre la igualdad de género en la ciencia y los deportes), cinco ítems de la subescala relacional (p. ej., comodidad con las muestras de afecto del mismo sexo, celos relacionales) y dos ítems de la subescala personal (p. ej., silencio cuando las mujeres son insultadas, aceptación de que las mujeres se vistan con estilos tradicionalmente masculinos). En todas las dimensiones, las mujeres generalmente demostraron actitudes más igualitarias que los hombres. Estos hallazgos resaltan la persistencia del sexismo ambivalente en la formación docente y subrayan la necesidad de integrar la capacitación transversal en igualdad de género en los currículos de maestros en formación para promover prácticas educativas inclusivas.

Review

This study, "Educating Agents for Change: Preservice Teachers’ Attitudes towards Gender Equality," addresses a critical area in education: the foundational attitudes of future educators towards gender equality. Given that teachers are pivotal in shaping students' perceptions and fostering inclusive environments, understanding their beliefs is paramount to achieving equitable educational outcomes. The research, conducted at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), provides valuable insights by specifically investigating differences between male and female preservice teachers across sociocultural, relational, and personal dimensions of gender construction, thus exploring the preparedness of upcoming generations of educators to promote equitable practices. The researchers employed a quantitative approach, surveying 230 preservice teachers (174 women, 56 men; mean age 21.3 years) enrolled in Early Childhood and Primary Education programs. Attitudes were meticulously measured using an adapted 50-item, 5-point Likert scale based on García-Pérez et al. (2010), designed to assess various aspects of gender construction across the three defined dimensions. Data analysis via one-way ANOVA revealed significant gender differences in thirteen specific items across the subscales. Notably, women consistently demonstrated more egalitarian attitudes than men, with differences observed in areas such as attitudes towards sexist content in teaching materials and inclusive language (sociocultural), comfort with same-sex affection (relational), and challenging sexist insults or accepting non-traditional female dress (personal). These findings are highly significant, underscoring the persistence of ambivalent sexism within teacher training contexts and highlighting a clear disparity in gender equality perceptions, particularly among male preservice teachers. The study effectively illustrates that while some progress may have been made, critical gaps remain in fostering comprehensive egalitarian attitudes among all future educators. The authors' recommendation for integrating transversal gender equality training into preservice teacher curricula is therefore well-justified and crucial. Such initiatives are essential to equip all future teachers to become genuine agents of change, capable of fostering truly inclusive educational practices and actively challenging entrenched gender biases from the classroom upwards.

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