Examination of young children’s gender-doing and gender-bending in their play dynamics: A cross-cultural exploration

摘要

The purpose of the study was to explore how young children express their perception of gender dynamics (e.g., gender-bending and gender-doing) in their play. A total of 84 children (52 boys and 32 girls) and 4 teachers from the U.S. and South Korea participated in the study. To capture perspectives from the children, qualitative data were collected from semi-structured interviews, classroom discussion, and children’s free drawings. Data were descriptively analysed to find patterns of the children’s perception. The findings indicated young children from both cultures were aware of the gender differences in their play that reflected gender-doing. The children also perceived that they could bend a little to act like members of the other gender (gender-bending) as their interests emerged within a play context; however, S. Korea kindergarten children, particularly boys, clearly exhibited discomfort when playing with members of the opposite gender or gender-bending in their play dynamics.