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Examining preschool teachers' attitudes, comfort, action orientation and preparation to work with children reared by gay and lesbian parents

Description:

The present study assessed preschool teachers' attitudes towards homosexuality, their comfort levels in working with same sex parents and their children, their action orientation and preparedness to work on this topic. Twenty teachers from public schools and 20 from private child care settings in North Carolina, USA, participated in the study. Two standardised surveys were used to gather data. Overall, teachers seemed to hold a positive attitude towards homosexuality. However, European American teachers were more positive in their attitudes than their African American counterparts. Further, most teachers' comfort in working with gay and lesbian parents and their disposition towards being action oriented were only significant at the attitudinal level. Teachers' comfort and action orientation were not significantly correlated with each other. Additionally, older teachers (in terms of age and years of experience) attributed college preparation to be an important factor in their preparation of this topic. Teachers did not differ significantly on any of the measures related to their work settings. Discussed are the various factors that might have contributed to these findings. The implications of these findings for the field of early childhood education and suggestions for future research are also highlighted. (author abstract)

Resource Type:
Reports & Papers
Country:
United States
State(s)/Territories/Tribal Nation(s):
North Carolina

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