PRESERVICE LIFE SCIENCES TEACHERS’ CONCEPTUALISATION OF GENDER EQUALITY IN THE CLASSROOMS

Gender equality has become a rhetorical phrase in today’s modern societies where women are challenging the societal gender stereotypical practices particularly in the African context. Such vibrancy however is not evident in research to provide empirical evidence of how issues of gender equality can be promoted in different fora. The school context is an ignored stakeholder considering that schools are extensions of the lives in the homes and communities, yet this is where the future leaders are developed. In Life Sciences (Biology), there are topics which could be used as opportunities for teaching gender equality to the young learners. The current study sought to determine how preservice Life Sciences teachers conceptualised gender equality and the need for teachers to be gender sensitive. A questionnaire with only three open ended questions was administered to 90 pre-service teachers (50 enrolled for a Bachelor of Education and 40 enrolled for Postgraduate Certificate in Education) as a google form. The questionnaire sought participants’ understanding of what gender equality in the science classrooms entails, topics that invoke gender issues, and reasons for the need for teachers to be gender sensitive when teaching such concepts. This information was pertinent as the lecturer (researcher) planned to introduce gender responsive pedagogy as a theme in the following year’s module. Through deductive and thematic analysis of the data collected, three themes emerged: 1. Preservice teachers’ understandings of what gender equality entails is based on their sociocultural practices and beliefs; 2. Gender equality issues arise from topics that evoke emotions in the Life Sciences classrooms; and 3. Teachers of Life Sciences have a duty to protect and embrace every learner despite their differences. The findings also revealed that there were preservice teachers who declined to give responses to the questions. When quizzed outside the lecture, two participants (separately) pointed out that such a topic is sensitive to them, and they declined to elaborate. Based on the findings, the researcher surmised that such a topic cannot be brought into the classroom without preparing the participants emotionally as previous experiences or encounters at home or in society may interfere with open mindedness to learn. The findings provided an important basis for further research and for teacher development.