Male Teachers Impact on Male Student Behavior and Achievement

in MathematicsAn Action Research Project

By Walton GamoryEDUC 7201 T

Fall 2010

Table of ContentsAbstractIntroduction

Statement of the ProblemReview of Related LiteratureStatement of the Hypothesis

MethodParticipantsInstruments

References

IntroductionHistorically, because teaching has been

viewed as woman’s work, and that men who teach especially in the lower grades were lacking in masculinity, this has resulted in the overall reduction of male teachers. The problem is that the percentage of male teachers at the elementary school level has fallen regularly since 1981- when it reached an all time high of 18%.

This reduction in the overall number of male teachers has had a negative effect on the male student population in regards to student achievement level and behavior.

Statement of the ProblemObservation at PS X in the New York City

elementary school system has revealed a direct correlation between student behavior and lower academic achievement in Mathematics, especially among male students of lower income single parent families.

Review of Related LiteratureBoys learn more from men and girls learn

more from women (Marsh, HW, Martin, AJ, & Cheng, JHS,2008).

Girls have better educational outcomes when taught by women and boys are better off when taught by men(Dee, 2006).

Review of Related Literature PROS: Research Supporting Male as Role Models

Male role models can improve the behavior and achievement of boys.

Thorton, M, & Bricheno, P. (2007). Bandura, A. (1986). social foundations of thought and action; a

social cognitive theory. Prentice-Hall,NJ: Englewood Cliffs. PROS: Research Supporting Male as Role Models Matching teachers and pupils by gender will improve boys’

engagement with school. (TDA 2005) Pupils do better when there’s a match between characteristics of

pupils and teachers in terms of gender and ethnicity. Carrington, B., & Shelton, C. (2003).

Review of Related LiteratureCONS: Arguments Against Male as Role

Models

Policy makers and practitioners positioned the African American male teacher as a one-dimensional “role model.” (Dawson 2001).

Matching teachers and children by gender and ethnicity has little impact on attainment.(Ehrenberg, Goldhaber and Brewer 1995)

Review of Related LiteratureCONS: Arguments against Male as Role

ModelsMore research is needed on why race and

gender influence achievement.This approach could have the unintended

consequence of harming student who do not share the minority teacher’s demographic traits.

(Dee 2005)Cerve, K. (2010, March 23). Program aims to

channel more black males into teaching, particularly at elementary level. Beaufort Gazette,S C-USA, p. 1-4

Statement of the HypothesisNinety minutes of weekly instructional

intervention by a male teacher will decrease behavioral problems and improve academic achievement in mathematics for fourth and fifth grade male students from low-income , single female parent households who attend urban public school X.

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396 British Government, Teacher Development Agency. (2005). News

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gender and student achievement: evidence from five Indian states. Compare,

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