Early childhood educators’ perceptions of boys’ and girls’ aggressive behaviour

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine early childhood educators’ (ECEs) perceptions of children’s aggressive behaviour in Norwegian kindergartens. Specifically, the perceived level of aggression, acceptability of aggression and causal attributions of the aggressive behaviour were investigated. The study used a quantitative, experimental design, where a questionnaire was developed to collect data that might help determine whether perceptions of children’s aggressive behaviour depend on the child’s gender (boy or girl) and the type of aggression (relational or physical) being displayed. The online questionnaire consisted of written fictional scenarios (vignettes) describing a child displaying physical and relational aggressive behaviour. The sample consisted of 120 ECEs from different parts of Norway, who were randomised into two experimental groups: one which received a questionnaire in which the vignettes used traditional boy names, and one which received vignettes using girl names. The results showed that perceptions of children’s aggression did not depend on whether the child is a boy or a girl. They also revealed that while perceived level of aggression and acceptability of aggression did not depend on the type of aggression displayed, causal attributions of aggressive behaviour did. Relational aggression was found to be more likely to be attributed to personal disposition (rather than situational factors) compared to physical aggression. These findings offer encouraging new knowledge indicating that gender stereotypes and assumptions about children’s physical and relational aggression may not be as prominent in Norwegian kindergartens as hypothesised based on research from other countries. There were some limitations related to the questionnaire used to measure perceptions of aggression, and the methods used to measure perceptions of aggression should be further developed in subsequent research. Nevertheless, despite limitations, the current study provides a foundation for the further study of perceptions of children’s aggression in Norwegian kindergartens.