The Plight of the Male Teacher: An Interdisciplinary and Multileveled Theoretical Framework for Researching a Shortage of Male Teachers

Abstract

In this article, four researchers from Australia and South Africa consider why it is important for primary schools to include both male and female teachers. The authors refute previous calls directed by public and political discourse, for male teachers to enhance boy’s educational outcomes or to act as role models or father figures. Instead, the authors present a theoretical framework that justifies calls for male teachers at four levels: the child level, the classroom level, the organizational level, and the societal level. While complex barriers may continue to limit male teacher representation, the authors hope that this interdisciplinary framework might stimulate further international scholarly discussions about the interactions between teacher-gender, education, and culture.