Becoming a Pre-School and Elementary School Educator: How do Male Teachers Describe their Career Decision and Career Development from the Perspective of the Social Cognitive Career Approach and Human Resource Management

This study investigated the sense-making process and career decision and development of male pre-school and elementary school teachers in the New England region in the United States through the perspective of Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT). Two research questions guided this study. First, why male teachers decided to join the pre-school and elementary school profession as their life-long career development, and second, how do male teachers describe their position and the sense-making process of their profession. Based on the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the researcher invited and collected rich and in-depth data from ten participants. The results indicated that male pre-school and elementary school teachers believed their gender status and role could provide unique modelling for young children, particularly those from a single-parent family. Also, many believed that human resource professionals and school leaders should pay attention to gender diversity and gender inequality issues in the areas of the pre-school and elementary school environments. Based on the in-depth sharing, the results of this study could become a blueprint for school leaders and human resource professionals to direct their workplace and gender inequality issues toward male professionals in the current K-12 educational environment.