Canadian female and male early childhood educators' perceptions of child aggression and rough-and-tumble play

Abstract

This study investigated female and male early childhood educators' (ECEs) perceptions of young children's aggression and rough-and-tumble play in the Canadian early childhood classroom. Participants were drawn from a larger sample of ECEs who completed an online questionnaire regarding their perceptions of young children's behaviours in the classroom. This study involved n = 11 males from this sample and a matched subset of n = 11 females. Participants were presented with a series of vignettes depicting children displaying different types of aggression (i.e. relational, physical) as well as rough-and-tumble play, and completed a series of follow-up questions pertaining to their attitudes for each type of behaviour. Results showed compared to their female counterparts, male ECEs reported that both physical aggression and rough-and-tumble play held less negative social and academic implications for boys than girls. Educational implications for gender-inclusive, play-based early childhood programmes are discussed.

Keywords:

• early childhood educators
• childhood aggression
• rough-and-tumble play
• gender roles
• gender

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Erratum

Acknowledgements

We are grateful for the participation of the ECEs in this study. We are also grateful to the Spencer Foundation for providing partial support for this study.

Notes on contributors

Sandra Bosacki is a professor in the Department of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies in Education at Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada. Her research and teaching interests focus on social cognition and emotional development in children and adolescents.

Robert J Coplan is a professor in the Department of Psychology at Carleton University and Director of the Pickering Centre for Research in Human Development. His research interests are in the area of children's socio-emotional development with a particular focus on the development of shyness, social withdrawal, and social anxiety in childhood.

Heather Woods is a Master of Education Candidate in the Department of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies in Education at Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Her research interests focus on teacher experiences, attitudes, and beliefs about bullying and bullying prevention programmes.