Abstract

This research aimed at unraveling the mystery behind motivation of male student teachers in joining Early Childhood Development (ECD) in the face of negative societal attitudes. The interview, the questionnaire and document analysis were used in the process of data gathering. The researchers found that most students are motivated by external or extrinsic factors, such as deployment advantages, employment in better paying non-governmental organizations and professional advancement opportunities as ‘minorities’ in the area. This is a worrying phenomenon since the presence of the male ECD teacher from a distance looks like remarkable achievement in terms of deconstructing gender stereotyping in the area. It is recommended that to change negative societal attitudes towards male ECD teachers, more concerted efforts must be made to 'sell' the programme so that stakeholders are well informed. There should be mechanisms in place at college level to counsel students and therefore, forearm students who are forced to 'cross the floor' under pressure from traditional societal attitudes to remain steadfast.

Key words: Early childhood development, male teachers, motivation, sex, gender.