Music teachers' constructions of gender in elementary education

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Appendix 1. Semi-structured interview guide
General background and perspectives of teacher’s role:
1. Tell me how you came to be teaching elementary music.
2. How did your peers, family, community members respond to your decision to enter this
field?
3. How do you want to be treated by others in your field?
“ Administrators
“ Other teachers
“ Parents
“ Children
4. What do you believe you can contribute to the profession of music teaching?
5. In your pre-service teacher preparation, did you ever feel that you were treated differently
because of your gender? How?
6. How do you view your future in elementary music education?
Gender and the music programme:
7. Tell me about your experiences in working with girls in the music programme. What stands
out for you?
8. Tell me about your experiences in working with boys in the music programme. What stands
out for you?
9. What do you envision as the role of fathers, grandfathers, other males in children’s musical
lives?
Probe: In what ways are men involved in your music programme?
Could you describe a specific example of that?
10. What do you envision as the role of mothers, grandmothers, other females in children’s
musical lives?
Probe: In what ways are women involved in your music programme?
Could you describe a specific example of that?
11. As a male/female music teacher working in an elementary school, what do you see that
others outside the field might not?
12. Is there anything that I haven’t asked that you would like to add?
Note: Questions are adapted from Cooney and Bittner 2001.
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