The Career Journey of the First Male Preschool Teacher in Turkey: An Optimistic Perspective to A Female Dominated Occupation

This study is designed as a single case which focuses on the real story of the first male preschool teacher in Turkey. The main purpose of this study is to investigate his perceptions related to; a) the advantages and disadvantages of being the first preschool teacher in Turkey b) the perception of school society towards him, c) how he handled the challenges, d) possible social benefits of male preschool teachers in early childhood education. Data were collected through a semi-structured in-depth interview. The data were thematically analysed under the predetermined categories in accordance with the research questions. The findings suggest that preschool teaching is still a female-dominated occupation despite the fact that preschool teachers are present in Turkish system more than thirty years. All the findings derived from this study implied the personal traits is a noteworthy factor that shaped the first male preschool teachers’ career choice and his career path in a gendered profession.