Three third-grade teachers' gender-related beliefs and behavior

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ways in which 3 third-grade teachers diminished or contributed to the gender-differentiated schooling experiences of girls and boys by comparing the teachers' gender beliefs with what actually happened in their classrooms. The teachers, from a midwestern elementary school, were observed and interviewed during the 15-week data collection period. Data were analyzed using the constant-comparison method. Results indicated that the teachers worked from a gender-blind position, meaning they believed they did not take students' gender into account when teaching. However, the teachers' beliefs did not match their practices.