Primary Children’s Attitudes Toward Reading in Male and Female Teachers’ Classrooms: an Exploratory Study

Abstract. This study was designed to investigate the effects of teachers ' gender on primary children's attitudes toward reading. 141 children, second grade boys and girls, from male and female teacher classrooms, were administered the Survey of School Attitudes. Results of statistical analysis revealed significant differences in at-titude dependent upon teacher gender. Recently, the effects of teachers ' gender on boys ' reading behaviors have been dismissed as unpromising avenues of research and concern. Lahaderne (1976), in a review of the pertinent literature, concluded that there was little credence in the belief that the feminized school adversely affects boys ' achievement. However, few of the reviewed studies dealt with the primary grades where initial exposure to reading might lead to the development of an entrench-ed attitude toward this activity. Additionally, in one of the reported studies, grade one boys who identified strongly with male student teachers achieved higher scores in all areas tested (McFarland, 1969). Other investigators have discovered that male and female teachers have differing expecta-tions for boys and girls (Palardy, 1969). When teacher expectations differ there appear to b