HKIER

Abstract

The article, based on an ethnographic analysis of the gendered link of caring in primary teaching with motherly work/roles, seeks to articulate the notion that caring in primary teaching may be complex. Data were collected from a case study conducted at a Taiwanese primary school between 2008 and 2009. The findings suggest that the importance of caring was acknowledged, but teachers’ responses about caring varied. Although male teachers manifestly distanced themselves from caring, the evidence suggests that caring does not exclusively relate to gender. Three non-gender-specific values — personal attributes, an emphasis on professional skills, and the discourse of humanism — were proposed for explaining the complexity of the caring phenomenon in the primary-school context.

Keywords: caring; motherly work/roles; femininity; masculinity; teachers’ gender; primary teaching

摘要

本文藉由民族誌分析小學教學中關懷與母親工作／角色的性別關聯，探討小學

教學中關懷的複雜意涵。以2008至2009年台灣某小學的個案研究為資料，本研究發現雖然教師都認同關懷在小學教學中的重要性，但是對於關懷的觀點卻有歧異，例如男教師清楚表示自己的工作和角色與關懷相距甚遠。研究顯示，關懷並非只與性別有關，因此本文提出三個非性別特定的價值──個人特質、重視專業技巧、人道主義論述──以詮釋關懷在小學教學情境中的複雜性。

關鍵詞：關懷；母親工作／角色；女性特質；男性特質；教師性別；小學教學