Negotiating Masculinity in a Female-Dominated Educational Space: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Male Elementary Teacher Education Students in Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61255/jupiter.v4i4.1705Keywords:
Masculinity, Male Students, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, PGSD, Dominated EnvironmentAbstract
The profession of elementary school teachers has historically and socially been constructed as a profession that is synonymous with women, so that male students in the Elementary School Teacher Education Study Program (PGSD) are in a position as a gender minority who have the potential to face stereotypes, social expectations, and gender relationship dynamics in the academic environment. This research aims to understand how male students interpret their experiences in a female-dominated educational space as well as how the process of masculinity negotiations takes place in academic and social experiences. The research uses a qualitative approach with an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) design. The research participants were active male students of the PGSD Study Program who were selected through purposive sampling techniques. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews and analyzed using the IPA stages. The results showed that male students engaged in various masculinity negotiation strategies to adjust to academic culture, gender stereotypes, and social expectations in the primary education environment. This process shapes how they maintain their masculine identity while adapting to a female-dominated learning environment. These findings enrich the study of gender and education by providing an understanding of the dynamics of the construction of masculinity in the context of elementary school teacher education
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