TY - JOUR A1 - Huber, Johannes A1 - Traxl, Bernd T1 - Pedagogical differences and similarities between male and female educators, and their impact on boys’ and girls’ behaviour in early childhood education and care institutions in Austria T2 - Research Papers in Education N2 - Greater public and scholarly awareness of the educational influence of males (men and fathers) on child development has generated a parallel need for empirical research into the gender-related structure and dynamics of relationships between girls/boys and female/male educators in early childhood education institutions. The Austrian W-INN pilot study, carried out between 2010 and 2012, used a cross-sectional mixed-methods design (video-based observation and questionnaires) to research possible pedagogical differences and similarities between male and female educators, and their impact on boys’ and girls’ behaviour in early childhood education institutions. Ten Austrian Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) groups were recruited: 5 female-only and 5 mixed-gender teams of educators, 30 children (15 boys, 15 girls) aged 4–6. Analysis of data on educational dimensions reveal male and female educators hardly differ (the exception, men are significantly more permissive). Mixed-gender teams produce significantly greater social mobility among children than do female-only teams. Analysing children’s behaviour towards educators, clear gender specific effects can be found across various levels of inquiry: girls react less obviously to an educator’s gender; boys, especially, are drawn significantly more frequently to a man in the ECEC team. Implications for pedagogical professionalism as well as limitations of the results are discussed. KW - early childhood education KW - men in childcare KW - child-educator attachment KW - mixed-gender staff KW - video observation KW - mixed methods Y1 - 2018 UR - https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-rosenheim/frontdoor/index/index/docId/1868 UR - https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2017.1353674 VL - 33 IS - 4 SP - 452 EP - 471 ER -