Les dossiers de récompenses honorifiques d’instituteurs, inexploités par les historiens jusqu’à ce jour, fournissent des renseignements rares et précieux sur les meilleurs instituteurs et institutrices, non seulement de l’époque bien connue de la Troisième République, mais également des époques précédentes, relativement moins étudiées. Un échantillon de dossiers de six départements représentatifs (Creuse, Doubs, Gard, Ille-et-Vilaine, Nord, Seine-et-Oise) de 1858 jusqu’à 1902 est soumis non seulement à un traitement qualitatif mais aussi à un traitement quantitatif, dont les résultats sont figurés par 106 graphiques en 49 séries et 12 tableaux. Complétant ces dossiers de récompenses honorifiques par les dossiers de l’enquête Guizot, ainsi que par d’autres témoignages (auto)biographiques, cette étude retrace tout d’abord l’évolution des critères du « bon maître ». Ces critères, appliqués distinctement aux enseignants urbains et ruraux jusqu’au milieu du siècle, commencent à souligner, dans un contexte de concurrence, les bons résultats obtenus par une bonne organisation pédagogique à partir des années 1860. La réforme scolaire de la Troisième République précipite l’essor du système scolaire laïque et la prospérité de l’école laïque est davantage valorisée dans les deux dernières décennies du XIXe siècle. Les bons maîtres et les bonnes maîtresses de chaque génération entrent en fonction dans une situation socio-politiquement différente, mais ils contribuent, chacun à leur manière, à la consolidation de l’enseignement primaire. Dix portraits de cinq générations d’instituteurs et d’institutrices révèlent comment ils s’adaptent au changement de leur statut, du maître tenant sa propre école au fonctionnaire d’État en passant par fonctionnaire communal, et comment ils ont vécu les difficultés mais aussi les bonheurs de cette profession unique. / The files of honorary awards for primary school teachers, unexploited by historians to this day, provide rare and precious informations on the best teachers, men and women, not only on those well known of the Third Republic, but also on the teachers of previous eras, relatively less studied. A sample of records of six representative departments (Creuse, Doubs, Gard, Ille-et-Vilaine, Nord, Seine-et-Oise) from 1858 to 1902 is submitted not only to a qualitative treatment but also to a quantitative one, the results of which are represented by 106 graphics in 49 series and 12 tables. By complementing these files of honorary awards by the records of the Guizot investigation as well as by other evidences including (auto)biographys, this study firstly traces the evolution of the criteria of the "good teacher". These criteria, applied separately for urban and rural teachers until mid-century, began to emphasize the good results obtained by a good educational organization from the 1860s, in a context of opposition with congregational schools. The school reform of the Third Republic precipitates the developement of the secular school system, and the prosperity of the secular school is valued more in the last two decades of the nineteenth century. Good masters and good mistresses of each generation take office in a socio-politically different situation, but each of them contributes in her or his own way to the consolidation of primary education. Ten portraits of five generations of teachers, men and women, show how they adapt to their status changing, from the master holding his own school to the civil servant of municipality and finally to that of government, and how they have experienced the difficulties as well as the joys of this unique profession.

(in English): This work deals with women teachers' unions in the period of 1918 - 1939. It monitors the development of women's education in connection with their employment assertion and with their participation in the union life. The first professional associations which were founded by women were teaching guilds. The paper presents an overview of women's associations and follows basic areas of their activities. It focused especially on putting women's equality given by the Constitution into the reality, improving social and economic status of female teachers and their participation in the reform movement. The Federation of teachers of vocational schools for women's occupations is introduced in detail to give the specific idea about the activities of women's teacher unions. These schools, so called family schools are also more closely characterised in their work. Follows a basic overview of the effects of the Union during this period and a description of its organization. The following chapters show in detail the activities of this association in areas which were the subject of the greatest interest. The union is shown as a feminist organization, fighting for the interests of teachers and women in general and women defending the interests of secondary education. The conclusion focuses on the...

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Die Bruinvrou in die onderwys het 'n besondere rol om te vertolk veral in die !ewe van die volwassewordende kind asook in die hele skoolopset. Die doel van hierdie ondersoek was om hierdie rol te bepaal. Tersaaklike gegewens is verkry deur middel van Iiteratuurstudie, die outobiografiese teks, onderhoude asook vraelyste. Deur die inligting bekom, is vasgestel dat die omstandighede waaronder 'n groot gedcelte van die Bruinonderwyseresse werk, nie altyd gunstig is nie. Baie Bruinlccrclcrs woon in sosio-ekonomiese agtergeblewe gebiede waar misdaad en bendebcdrywighedc aan die orde van die dag is. Waardestelsels, leefstyl van die subkultuur, onvoldoende materiele versorging en gebrekkige opvoeding veroorsaak steuringe in die leerders se ingesteldheid teenoor die skool. Haar vrouwees laat die onderwyseres baie empatie toon in haar opvoedingskommunikasie met die leerder. Sy poog om toereikend na sy behoeftes om te sicn. As medcganger help sy die leerder om elke mylpaal wat hy bereik, te beskou as die begin van 'n ander. Deur haar meelewendheid word veral die milieugestremde Bruinkind se menswaardigheid erken. Baie bruinleerders het aangedui dat onderwyseresse rolmodelle vir hulle is. Sommige onderwyseresse word verplig om jarelank dieselfde graad te onderrig. Aangesien hulle so 'n betekenisvolle rol in die volwassewording van die kind speel, is dit nodig dat hulle ervaring opdoen van die verskillende grade in die skool. Die vrou is baie veelsydig en het moontlikhede wat tocreikcnd aangewend kan word in al die fasette van die skoolopset. Sy kan '11 baie belangrike bydrae lewer in die organisasie en administrasie van die skool as sy die geleentheid gebied word. Haar ingesteldheid op die menslike en die belangrikheid van gesonde verhoudinge asook haar hoe pligsbesef dui daarop dat die onderwyseres by magte is om 'n uitstekende onderwysleier te wees. Nieteenstaande die feit dat onderwyseresse volgens statistieke oorverteenwoordig is in die onderwys, is hulle onderverteenwoordig in bestuursposte. Alhoewel die Grondwet van die Republiek van Suid Afrika 1996, gebaseer is op die beginsels van gelykheid en menswaardigheid, is seksisme en diskriminasie op grond van geslag nog steeds ernstige struikelblokke vir die onderwyseres op haar weg na beter vooruitsigte in die onderwys. Aanbevelings vir praktykverbetering asook verdere navorsing is gemaak. / The Coloured woman in education has a particular role to play, especially in the life of the child growing towards adulthood as well as in the school in general. The aim of this investigation is to determine that role. Relevant information had been obtained by means of literary sources, autobiographical texts, interviews and questionnaires. Having obtained this information, it was established that the circumstances in which a large proportion of Coloured female educators work, are not always favourable. Many coloured learners live in socio-economic disadvantaged areas where crime and gangsterism prevail. Value systems, lifestyles of the subculture, inadequate material care and a serious lack of education are causing disruptions of learners' inclination towards the school. Being a woman enables the female educator to show considerable empathy in her pedagogic communication with the learners. She endeavours to sufficiently provide in their needs. As pedagogic accompanist she assists the learner to see every milestone that he/she achieves as the basis for another. Her involvement brings about an acknowledgement of the human dignity of the milieu-deprived Coloured child. Many coloured learners have indicated that their female educators are their role models. Some female educators are compelled to teach the same grade for years. Their significant role merits experience of teaching the various grades at school. Women are very versatile and have potential which can be utilized adequately in all the facets of the school situation. They can make very important contributions towards the organisation and administration of the school as a whole, given the opportunity. Their focus on human nature and the importance of sound relationships as well as their high sense of duty are indicative of the ability female educators have to become excellent leaders in education. They are nevertheless under-represented in educational management positions. Although the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, is based on the principles of equality and human dignity, sexism is still a stumbling block in the path of female educators. Recommendations for an improvement m educational practice as well as further research were made. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Filosofie van die Opvoeding)

Esta dissertação tem como objeto de pesquisa representações da formação acadêmica de um grupo de professoras. Está vinculada à linha de pesquisa em História e Filosofia da Educação e examina memoriais descritivos que constituem narrativas autobiográficas de vida e formação, escritos por um grupo de dezenove professoras, ex-alunas do curso de Licenciatura em Pedagogia, na modalidade a distância, da Universidade de Caxias do Sul. O suporte teórico deste estudo está apoiado especialmente em Chartier, Pesavento, Nóvoa, Tardif e Mizukami, entre outros. A metodologia utilizada está ancorada em algumas ênfases da História Cultural, buscando produzir uma narrativa plausível a partir do exame dos dados, produzida com apoio na análise textual discursiva, tendo como base categorias emergentes do processo de impregnação, categorização e teorização do material empírico que compõe o corpus da pesquisa. As narrativas escritas pelas professoras foram tomadas como objeto privilegiado de análise com o intuito de perceber quais representações cada uma produziu sobre seu próprio processo de formação. A arquitetura do texto envolve quatro capítulos A formação acadêmica: um processo (re)vivido a partir da escrita reflexiva; Ser professora: representações de uma escolha; A gestão da formação acadêmica e De professora a pedagoga: marcas de uma trajetória. Os memoriais descritivos possibilitaram estudar a trajetória das professoras no que se refere à sua formação acadêmica, revelando representações sobre a escolha profissional, a identificação enquanto estudantes, o reencontro com o aprender e o encontro com os saberes docentes. As narrativas apresentaram sinais de avanço da postura reflexiva e fortalecimento da identidade profissional, além de indicar que a formação continua. As principais contribuições deste estudo situam-se na compreensão de que, a partir da formação acadêmica, as professoras foram se tecendo como profissionais em um processo de aprendizagem que aconteceu estabelecendo pontes com a prática e agregando novos saberes. Nas narrativas das professoras, ficaram palavras que possibilitam compreender a educação a partir de quem é personagem desta história. / Submitted by Marcelo Teixeira (mvteixeira@ucs.br) on 2014-06-02T16:54:49Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Cineri Fachin Moraes.pdf: 486727 bytes, checksum: 039501e2dad687ec5d69b9de73778de2 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-02T16:54:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Cineri Fachin Moraes.pdf: 486727 bytes, checksum: 039501e2dad687ec5d69b9de73778de2 (MD5) / The scope of this research study consists on the representations of academic education for a group of teachers. It is related to the line of research for Education History and Philosophy and examines descriptive memorials. These autobiographical narratives about their lives and education were written by a group of 19 teachers who used to be students at the distance learning program for Pedagogy held at the University of Caxias do Sul. Theoretical support is based especially on Chartier, Pesavento, Nóvoa, Tardif and Mizukami, among others. Methodology applied emphasizes a few aspects of Cultural History, in an attempt of producing plausible narrative from the data analyzed, and is supported by discourse textual analysis, based on categories emerging from the processes of impregnation, categorization, and theorization of the empiric material that makes up the corpus of the study. The narratives written by the teachers were taken as a privileged object of analysis with the purpose of perceiving what representations each one of them made about their own process of academic education. The architecture of the text is organized in four chapters Academic education: a process (re)lived through reflexive writing practice; Being a teacher: representations of a choice; Managing academic education for teachers, and "From teacher to pedagogue: marks in a trajectory". The descriptive memorials made it possible to study the path taken by the teachers in their trajectory for academic education, revealing representations about their professional choice, their identification as students, their reencounter with learning and their encounter with teaching knowledge. Narratives presented a few signs of growth for their reflexive posture and of strengthening for their professional identities, besides indicating that their education is ongoing. The main contributions coming from this study rely on the understanding that from academic education, these teachers started their weaving process as professionals in a learning process which took place by linking bridges with their experience and aggregating new knowledge. In the narrative of the teachers there are words that make it possible to understand education from a perspective of somebody that is a character in the story.

Esta dissertação tem como objeto de pesquisa representações da formação acadêmica de um grupo de professoras. Está vinculada à linha de pesquisa em História e Filosofia da Educação e examina memoriais descritivos que constituem narrativas autobiográficas de vida e formação, escritos por um grupo de dezenove professoras, ex-alunas do curso de Licenciatura em Pedagogia, na modalidade a distância, da Universidade de Caxias do Sul. O suporte teórico deste estudo está apoiado especialmente em Chartier, Pesavento, Nóvoa, Tardif e Mizukami, entre outros. A metodologia utilizada está ancorada em algumas ênfases da História Cultural, buscando produzir uma narrativa plausível a partir do exame dos dados, produzida com apoio na análise textual discursiva, tendo como base categorias emergentes do processo de impregnação, categorização e teorização do material empírico que compõe o corpus da pesquisa. As narrativas escritas pelas professoras foram tomadas como objeto privilegiado de análise com o intuito de perceber quais representações cada uma produziu sobre seu próprio processo de formação. A arquitetura do texto envolve quatro capítulos A formação acadêmica: um processo (re)vivido a partir da escrita reflexiva; Ser professora: representações de uma escolha; A gestão da formação acadêmica e De professora a pedagoga: marcas de uma trajetória. Os memoriais descritivos possibilitaram estudar a trajetória das professoras no que se refere à sua formação acadêmica, revelando representações sobre a escolha profissional, a identificação enquanto estudantes, o reencontro com o aprender e o encontro com os saberes docentes. As narrativas apresentaram sinais de avanço da postura reflexiva e fortalecimento da identidade profissional, além de indicar que a formação continua. As principais contribuições deste estudo situam-se na compreensão de que, a partir da formação acadêmica, as professoras foram se tecendo como profissionais em um processo de aprendizagem que aconteceu estabelecendo pontes com a prática e agregando novos saberes. Nas narrativas das professoras, ficaram palavras que possibilitam compreender a educação a partir de quem é personagem desta história. / The scope of this research study consists on the representations of academic education for a group of teachers. It is related to the line of research for Education History and Philosophy and examines descriptive memorials. These autobiographical narratives about their lives and education were written by a group of 19 teachers who used to be students at the distance learning program for Pedagogy held at the University of Caxias do Sul. Theoretical support is based especially on Chartier, Pesavento, Nóvoa, Tardif and Mizukami, among others. Methodology applied emphasizes a few aspects of Cultural History, in an attempt of producing plausible narrative from the data analyzed, and is supported by discourse textual analysis, based on categories emerging from the processes of impregnation, categorization, and theorization of the empiric material that makes up the corpus of the study. The narratives written by the teachers were taken as a privileged object of analysis with the purpose of perceiving what representations each one of them made about their own process of academic education. The architecture of the text is organized in four chapters Academic education: a process (re)lived through reflexive writing practice; Being a teacher: representations of a choice; Managing academic education for teachers, and "From teacher to pedagogue: marks in a trajectory". The descriptive memorials made it possible to study the path taken by the teachers in their trajectory for academic education, revealing representations about their professional choice, their identification as students, their reencounter with learning and their encounter with teaching knowledge. Narratives presented a few signs of growth for their reflexive posture and of strengthening for their professional identities, besides indicating that their education is ongoing. The main contributions coming from this study rely on the understanding that from academic education, these teachers started their weaving process as professionals in a learning process which took place by linking bridges with their experience and aggregating new knowledge. In the narrative of the teachers there are words that make it possible to understand education from a perspective of somebody that is a character in the story.

This qualitative multiple case study aims to describe the experiences of two Black women who chose to leave the classroom and transition to other roles within the field of education. Using metaphorical analysis, this study employed the four-capital theoretical framework. This framework connects human capital, structural capital, social capital, and positive psychological capital as factors related to teacher attrition and retention. This study illustrates how the participants' experiences fit into the four-capital theoretical framework and highlights the metaphors the participants use to describe their transition. The researcher conducted two semi-structured open-ended interviews in which the participants were asked to describe their experiences in the classroom as well as their experiences in their new positions. The researcher analyzed the metaphors used by the participants and categorized their responses based on the four capitals. The identified metaphors offered a vivid description of the participants' experiences. The results indicated that although the experiences of the participants are similar to those found throughout the literature, the four-capital theory helps describe their experiences more holistically. Rather than having isolated reasons for leaving the classroom, the attrition of the participants can be explained by examining the interconnectedness of the various capitals. These findings suggest that teacher retention and attrition be studied by looking at a variety of causes as opposed to isolated factors.

This Qualitative research investigated and explored using a Narrative approach with teachers to find ways to improve the quality of teachers’ lives through the use of stories in Pastoral Counselling. A small group of teachers from a local primary school were invited to share their stories as a means to explore care and support actions for other teachers in the South African context. Statistics seem to point to a crisis in the South African education system, especially regarding the well-being of teachers. Various factors contribute to this including issues of diversity in the teaching context and challenges posed by inclusive education. It is my belief that a Narrative approach can assist Practical Theology to make a significant contribution towards helping struggling teachers nurture resilience and create more meaningful lives. Narrative Inquiry, a relatively new Qualitative methodology, was used to study the teachers’ experiences. This required a “collaboration between researcher and participants” which happened over time, in a particular context (Beaumont Primary School in Somerset West) and in social interactions with the research participants: a small group of teachers from Beaumont Primary School. African and South African views were investigated. Data collection methods included: interviewing; attentive listening; and observation, through which stories (data) was collected from the focus group. After analysing and interpreting the research data, an integrated Narrative Pastoral model was constructed which could assist Practical Theology and Pastoral Counselling to better equip teachers to deal with the challenges they are facing. It is hoped that this model will ultimately help the teachers involved in this research project to grow into integrated, whole (quality) beings who can make a difference where they work and live. The vision is that this model can also be implemented in the rest of South Africa’s teacher population. / Practical Theology / D. Th. (Practical Theology)

MGS / Institute for Gender and Youth Studies / Institutions of higher learning are still masculine-orientated; this creates a barrier for women in terms of career advancement. To this effect women are under-represented in top academic positions. The study employed qualitative research methods to explore factors that contribute to the under-representation of women in senior positions at the University of Venda. A combination of purposive and convenience sampling was used to select twenty five female academics (25). Data was collected through primary and secondary data, semi-structured interviews were used to elicit and illuminate women’s voices on issues that affect them and a thematic analysis was used to analyse the collected data. The research findings demonstrate that the University’s environment continues to be masculine-oriented within most of employment categories as well as in academia where women struggle to thrive. Women face multiple challenges in ascending the academic ladder which results in the under-representation of women in management and academic levels. These challenges included: the stringent criteria for promotion which do not seem to accommodate women, especially mothers, lack of female role-models, mentors and networks. The second major barrier is the teaching work-load which poses difficulties for women, preparations for teaching took long hours leaving them with no time for family, research, publication, as well as to further their studies, which are necessary requirements for promotion. The third major barrier women are faced with is the challenge of balancing multiple roles - as students, workers and mothers. Balancing these multiple roles makes it difficult for women to meet the highly stringent promotion criteria in the University

Abstracts in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa / This research aimed at investigating the challenges white teachers face in the socialisation of diverse learners in a former Model C school in the northern suburbs of Cape Town. The research involved a literature review conceptualising democracy, human rights, diversity, equality and socialisation, in addition to the concepts of white fragility and the theoretical perspective of Bourdieu’s ‘habitus’. The empirical investigation consisted of interviews to gather data. The findings revealed the perspectives of the teachers and their understanding of the socialisation of diverse learners in a democracy. Based on these findings, recommendations were made for the school and the Department of Basic Education to develop a system to incorporate in schools, in order to enhance socialisation and the transformation of former Model C schools. As the title states, this study was focused on the challenges white teachers experience relating to the transition to democracy. The context of a former Model C school is a complex scenario, where the values and norms of a dominant culture have formed, and continue to form, a critical part of the school climate and culture. The research findings revealed that since the transformation process started in 1994, ‘ex-Model C’ schools have assumed different characteristics and encountered challenges depending on their demographical location. Teachers need to address both social and educational aims, especially as the findings suggest that the schools, and particularly the teachers, are unclear about how diversity contributes to norms and values. This reflects in the tendency to remain focused on a dominant white culture, with which the teachers identify as ‘normal’. / Hierdie navorsing het ten doel gehad om die uitdagings wat wit onderwysers ten opsigte van die sosialisering van diverse leerders in ʼn gewese model C-skool in die noordelike voorstede van Kaapstad trotseer, te ondersoek. Die navorsing het ʼn literatuuroorsig behels waarvolgens demokrasie, menseregte, diversiteit, gelykheid en sosialisering gekonseptualiseer word, benewens die konsepte van wit broosheid en die teoretiese perspektief van Bourdieu se “habitus”. Die empiriese ondersoek het bestaan uit onderhoude om data in te samel. Die bevindinge het onderwysers se perspektiewe en hul begrip van die sosialisering van diverse leerders in ʼn demokrasie onthul. Op grond van hierdie bevindinge is aanbevelings gedoen vir die skool en die Departement van Basiese Onderwys rakende die ontwikkeling van ʼn stelsel om in skole te inkorporeer ten einde sosialisering en die transformasie van gewese model C-skole te bevorder. Soos wat die titel aandui, het hierdie studie gefokus op die uitdagings wat wit onderwysers ervaar ten opsigte van die oorgang na demokrasie. Die konteks van ʼn gewese model C-skool is ʼn komplekse scenario, waar die waardes en norme van ʼn dominante kultuur ʼn noodsaaklike deel van die skoolklimaat en -kultuur gevorm het (en dit is steeds die geval). Die navorsingsbevindinge het getoon dat sedert die transformasieproses in 1994 begin het, “eks-model C”-skole verskillende eienskappe aangeneem het en uitdagings teëgekom het afhangende van hul demografiese ligging. Onderwysers moet sowel sosiale as opvoedingsdoelwitte bereik, veral aangesien die navorsingsresultate daarop dui dat daar onduidelikheid onder die skole, en veral die onderwysers, is oor hoe diversiteit bydra tot norme en waardes. Dit blyk uit die neiging om gefokus te bly op ʼn dominante wit kultuur waarmee die onderwysers identifiseer as “normaal”. / Olu phando lujolise ekuphandeni imingeni ejongene nootitshala abamhlophe ekuhlanganiseni ngokwezentlalo abafundi beentlanga ezahlukeneyo kwisikolo esasifudula siyiModel C kumahlomela edolophu asemantla esixeko saseKapa. Uphando lwenza uphononongo loluncwadi oluchaza ngedemokhrasi, amalungelo oluntu, ukungafani, ulingano noqheliso lwezentlalo, kwakunye nobuthathaka babamhlophe neenkalo zokucinga ngokwethiyori ka Bourdieu ekuthiwa yi’habitus’. Uphando olusekelwe kubungqina baquka iindliwano ndlebe ekuqikeleleni idatha. Okufunyanisiweyo kwadiza iimbono zootitshala nendlela abaluqonda ngayo uqheliso lwezentlalo lwabafundi abangafaniyo kwimeko yedemokhrasi. Okufunyanisiweyo kwakhokelela ekwenziweni kweengcebiso kwisikolo nakweSebe Lemfundo Esisiseko ukuba kuphuhliswe inkqubo yokubandakanya ezikolweni, ngenjongo yokukhulisa uqheliso lwezentlalo nenguqu yezikolo ezazifudula ziziModel C. Njengoko nesihloko sisitsho, esi sifundo sagxininisa kwimingeni ejongene nootitshala kwixesha lenguqu eya kwidemokhrasi. Imeko yesikolo esasifudula siyiModel C yimeko enzima, apho iinqobo zokucinga nezithethe zenkcubeko eyongameleyo zibumbe, kwaye zisaqhuba ukubumba inxalenye emandundu yesimo sentlalo nenkcubeko yesikolo. Okufunyaniswe kuphando kwadiza ukuba okoko kwaqala inkqubo yenguqu ngowe-1994, izikolo ezazifudula ziziiModel C zaba neempawu ezahlukileyo kwaye zajongana nemingeni ngokuxhomekeke kwiindawo ezimi kuzo. Ootitshala badinga ukuhlangabeza iinjongo zentlalo nemfundo, ngakumbi, ngokokutsho kophando, izikolo, ngakumbi ootitshala, bengacacelwanga kukuba ukungafani kuncedisa njani kwiinqobo zokucinga nezithethe. Oku kubonakala kumkhwa wokungagungqi kwinkcubeko yabamhlophe neyongameleyo, le ootitshala bayithatha ngokuba ‘yeyesiqhelo’. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Socio-Education)

This dissertation explores how women kindergarten teachers in Pakistan understand the concept of gender as evident from their own reflections of their life experiences and from their interaction with their students. Early childhood education and gender equality in education are critical policy issues in Pakistan. Women pre-primary teachers have received little specific attention and little is known about their experiences. Seven women kindergarten teachers from one co-educational, private, English-medium school in the urban city of Karachi, Pakistan were involved in this mixed-method study. Multiple methods were used, namely, life history interviews with the women teachers, classroom observations of their teaching practice and interactions with girls and boys, and document analysis. Data were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed. The findings were presented and discussed through the five nested interrelated structures – microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and chronosystem - of Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model of human development. Study findings reveal that the family and school are critical microsystems that have shaped the women kindergarten teachers’ understanding of gender in terms of possibilities and impossibilities for girls and boys, women and men within the norms of the broader patriarchal macrosystem. Throughout their lives across the chronosystem, they have had to negotiate multiple positions in their patriarchal extended families, schools, and, to some extent, the larger community in response to social change across diverse geographical spaces. Compromise and conformity have formed much of how they have understood their role and position as women in this patriarchal context. As women and as kindergarten teachers, they are doubly disadvantaged. They have been inadequately prepared to take up positions as pre-primary teachers. Nevertheless, their developing knowledge of teaching young children based on their practice and in-service training in a school with a positive outlook towards teaching has led to a more professional perspective of themselves and their careers. They are committed to teaching, but face the challenge of coping with their professional and familial demands. Often times, they draw upon their religion for strength and to make sense of their gendered experiences. Tensions are evident in their understanding of gender, particularly in relation to their own children and their kindergarten students, about following ascribed gender norms or allowing for more change in tradition in a context being rapidly influenced by globalization and socio-economic change. For the most part, their interaction with their students reflected their internalization of dominant patriarchal values and their active role in perpetuating them. Nevertheless, their gendered teaching practice has also presented possibilities for change in their unconscious and, occasionally conscious, attempts to push gender boundaries towards more equitable gender relationships in this patriarchal context. This study is significant for bringing to the fore women kindergarten teachers’ lived experiences to provide a dimension of education which has gone largely unexamined locally and globally, and which, in the context of Pakistan, are critical to consider in light of issues related to quality, access, and gender equity in early childhood education.