Learning Media and Gender in Early Childhood Education
Marina Trie Ramadhany Gunawan, Vina Adriany and Safrina Soemadipradja Noorman
Department of Early Childhood Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl. Setiabudhi No. 229, Bandung, Indonesia
Keywords: Learning Media, Gender, Early Childhood Education.
Abstract: This paper aims to unpack the extent to which learning media contribute to gender construction in Early
Childhood Education (ECE). This article is based on assumptions that media very often sustain traditional
gender construction. Using post-develop mentalism, this article will be adopting a meta-analysis of previous
research and literatures on media and gender in ECE. Findings from this article are expected to illuminate
the extent to which media interfere with gender construction in ECE and what kind of gender construction is
perpetuated by the learning media. It is hoped that the paper will inform teachers and educators in ECE to
include gender awareness in their teaching.
1 INTRODUCTION
Much research on learning media has been
conducted in Indonesia (Kozma, 1991; Lieberman
and Colleagues, 2009; Ahyani, 2010; Santoso,
2011). However, research that raises gender issues in
relation to learning media is still rare. Such research
more often focuses on the influence, impact, or
application of learning media in early childhood
education on both the development and learning of
young children themselves (Ernest and Collegues,
2014; Ahyani, 2010; Farizah and Astiningrum,
2016; Hasanah, 2013). In most cases, learning media
are used as one of the alternatives and choices for
educators to help young children’s development.
Ahyani (2010), for instance, used the learning media
of storybooks in implementing teaching and
learning. The storybooks were used to develop
young children’s moral intelligence, which is one
aspect of development that pre-schoolers must
achieve. Other research on learning media by
Farizah and Astiningrum (2016) attempted to
develop media to develop aspects of child language
development by designing a series of computer
applications using kinect technology. In addition,
research on learning media has been done in one of
early childhood education institutions in Jakarta
using whiteboard with pictures as the learning media
to illustrate the aspect of children's cognitive
development, namely young children’s mathematical
logic (Khasanah, 2013).
Meanwhile, a large amount of research taking the
theme of learning media and gender has been carried
out abroad (Liang and Collegues, 2016; Ernest and
Collegues, 2014; Kotaman and Tekin, 2016; Jenkins
and Collegues, 1993). The research has analysed and
found that learning media also play a role in the
introduction and construction of gender in early
childhood. In Pakistan, for example, even the
Minister of Education made a massive effort to
reconstruct the learning media of school textbooks
considered to contain elements of gender and
stereotypes. The government believes that the
learning media of school textbooks are able to give
opportunities to close the gap in gender; hence,
reconstructing school textbooks is an appropriate
effort that can be made (Ullah and Skelton, 2013).
Furthermore, other studies reported that learning
media have the power to shape attitudes and trigger
changes, but often they lack knowledge of gender in
them (Made, 2000).
Based on the explanations, it is clear then that the
analysis of the use of learning media in
reconstructing early childhood gender has been done
in many countries abroad; however, this is not the
case with research of the same theme in Indonesia.
Research on the involvement of learning media and
the extent to which they contribute to young
children’s gender construction in Indonesia has
never been done by Indonesian researchers.
Meanwhile, according to Silver (1999), appropriate
learning media will be able to fight against negative
gender stereotypes and able to assist in providing
Gunawan, M., Adriany, V. and Noorman, S.
Learning Media and Gender in Early Childhood Education.
In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Educational Sciences (ICES 2017) - Volume 2, pages 247-250
ISBN: 978-989-758-314-8
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved
247

materials related to the construction of gender in
young children. Furthermore, gender is an
inseparable part of child development since an early
age. According to Smith and Colleagues (2017),
young children develop their knowledge about
gender from the age of three. Based on this
argument, the discussion of how learning media
contribute to the development of children’s gender
and the values given by the learning media in
developing children's gender becomes important to
be traced.
2 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
The present research employs post-developmentalist
theory. Post-developmentalism is a paradigm
emerging as a critique of the theory of
developmentalism (Burman, 2008; Walkerdine,
1998). One of the problems with developmentalism
is the assumption of universal truth, in which the
stages of child development throughout the world
are considered to be similar (Adriany, 2016;
Burman, 2008; Edward and Colleagues, 2009;
Walkerdine, 1998). Post-developmentalism theory
rejects the notion of universalism in the theory of
developmentalism (Burman, 2008; Fakih, 2009;
Janssen, 2013).
Post-developmentalism often tries to deconstruct
what we consider to be “truth” in early childhood
education; for example, in media studies. From a
developmentalist perspective, the media are
regarded as a means to stimulate early childhood
development (Calvert and Barbara, 2009; Santrock,
1995). From the perspective of post-
developmentalism, however, media are seen as a
means of perpetuating traditional gender ideas
(Karniol and Colleagues, 2000). It certainly shows
that learning media according to post-
developmentalism are a source of learning full of
gender stereotypes and inequalities. Based on post-
developmentalist theory, thus, it is important to pay
attention to learning media in order not to further
perpetuate gender inequalities, considering how
learning media also interact directly with young
children (Yeoman, 1999; Hurley, 2005).
3 GENDER IN YOUNG
CHILDREN
Gender can be briefly defined as the comprehensive
social construction of roles, attitudes, and attributes
that are associated with men and women. Although
the definition seems simple, throughout the history
gender has meant more than just biological sexes
(Lövheim, 2013). Based on the theory of post-
developmentalism, gender means socially
constructed roles and expectations for women and
men. The gender construction of men and women
will therefore differ depending on the expectations
of the people in the area (Mosse, 2007; Mohamad,
2002).
The existing theories on gender in early
childhood tend to regard children as passive beings,
who have not completely understood the issue of
gender (Kohlberg, 1966). Meanwhile, in the
perspective of post-developmentalism, children are
considered as not only being able to construct
gender identity, but also to challenge the existing
gender construction (Blaise, 2005; Browne, 2004;
Burman, 2008; Edwards et al., 2009; Walkerdine,
1998; Yelland, 1998).
4 METHODOLOGY
This paper uses meta-analysis methodology. It
analyses previous research on learning media and
gender in young children from various countries. In
this case, meta-analysis methodology is a process of
studying and researching by analysing and
reviewing various papers from previous research
pertaining to learning media and gender in relation
to young children (Elyasir, 2015). The present
research analyses 7 studies of learning media and
gender in early childhood. The research itself is part
of broader research that seeks to develop a gender
sensitive curriculum in Early Childhood Education.
5 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
After studying several papers in the analysis, the
researchers found two major themes related to
learning media and gender. The two major themes
are contribution of learning media towards gender
and media and gender ideologies in learning media.
The following sections discuss the two themes
contained in the analysed papers.
5.1 Gender and Media
An analysis of the research by Hendriyani and
Colleagues (2012) reveals that the learning media of
books were more frequently accessed by girls than
ICES 2017 - 1st International Conference on Educational Sciences
248

by boys. According to this research, learning media
affect how boys more often interact with passive
learning media and do not require interaction with
others, while girls prefer to use learning media that
demand more frequent communication with peers.
This is consistent with the argument of post-
developmentalist theory that learning media which
are supposed to improve the developmental aspects
of a child, in fact, only increasingly perpetuate
traditional gender (Yeoman, 1999). In this case, the
research further reinforces the notion that girls have
higher literacy intelligence than boys, although it is
actually the text that tends to segregate boys and
girls.
Another study conducted by Hendriyani and
Colleagues (2012) shows how gender stereotypes
are still very strongly demonstrated by learning
media. Children become more frequently involved in
activities that show how girls should be feminine
and boys masculine.
Although the two studies show how learning
media reinforce traditional gender notions, another
study conducted by Friesem (2016) suggests the
otherwise. According to Friesem (2016), when
learning media are given to children with the right
approach, they can help children understand the
complexity of the learning environment and
dismantle the formation of gender identity
embedded through strong ideology. This is in line
with Fiske's (1996) opinion in his book that gender,
race, class and age are constructed and hence they
can be reconstructed. This argument is supported by
Made (2000) who shows how learning media
actually have the power to dismantle the existing
traditional gender values.
5.2 Gender Ideologies in Learning
Media
Next is research conducted by Hurley (2005), which
examines how learning media in the form of text,
either verbal or visual, affect children’s self-image.
In his research, Hurley explained that learning media
in the form of storybooks such as Snow White,
Beauty and The Beast or other children’s storybooks
are laden with elements of traditional gender. The
books tend to perpetuate the idea of women as weak
and passive. Yeoman’s research (1999) also shows
how storybooks further perpetuate the traditional
gender, where the storybooks contain feminine
elements and minor female protagonists. Hurley
(2005) also said that teachers as individuals who
have committed to teaching social justice and gender
equality should be able to choose teach media that
can describe these values to young children. This is
in line with Kirkorian's (2008) argument that
educators or teachers have an important role to
maximize the positive influence of learning media
on the development of children's gender and
minimize the negative effects that may arise from
learning media laden with traditional gender values.
Research on learning media and gender was also
conducted by Ullah and Skelton (2013). According
to their research, learning media in Pakistan need to
be reconstructed because they still contain elements
of gender inequality. Ullah and Skelton (2013) also
stated in their research that the learning media in the
form of textbooks in Pakistan still inculcate the
message of gender bias and stereotypical
representation of men and women. The existing
books tend to extend the idea of male and female
stereotypes, in which boys are considered to have
different brain abilities from girls. Meanwhile, the
idea of different brain structure and ability between
boys and girls has long been abandoned because it is
considered to have no clear empirical evidence
(Browne, 2004).
6 CONCLUSIONS
Findings of this paper yield the extent to which
learning media in early childhood education are very
much gendered (Smith and Colleagues, 2017; Gill,
2007; Made, 2000; Friesem, 2016). Learning media
have considerable contribution in the inculcation of
gender values. These values can reach children
through a hidden curriculum that is consistently and
continuously disseminated by teachers to children
(Singer and Singer, 2012; Friesem, 2016). Hence,
the results of this research invite early childhood
educators to have greater sensitivity and gender
awareness in using media in the classroom so that
gender values that provide equal opportunities for
boys and girls can continue to be introduced.
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