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Building a brotherhood? A teacher researcher's study of gender construction at an all-boys Catholic secondary school Author: Kirstin Pesola McEachern Persistent link: http://hdl.handle.net/2345/3827 This work is posted on eScholarship@BC, Boston College University Libraries. Boston College Electronic Thesis or Dissertation, 2014 Copyright is held by the author, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise noted. BOSTON COLLEGE Lynch School of Education Department of Teacher Education, Special Education, and Curriculum and Instruction Program of Curriculum and Instruction BUILDING A BROTHERHOOD? A TEACHER RESEARCHER’S STUDY OF GENDER CONSTRUCTION AT AN ALL-BOYS CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL Dissertation by KIRSTIN PESOLA McEACHERN submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2014 © copyright by KIRSTIN PESOLA McEACHERN 2014 i ABSTRACT BUILDING A BROTHERHOOD? A TEACHER RESEARCHER’S STUDY OF GENDER CONSTRUCTION AT AN ALL-BOYS CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL Author: Kirstin Pesola McEachern Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Marilyn Cochran-Smith Despite renewed interest in single-sex education, these classrooms remain relatively unstudied, even in Catholic schools, which have a long history of single-sex education. Although there are over 460 single-gendered, Catholic K-12 schools in the United States, which educate roughly 215,000 students (McDonald & Schultz, 2011), these schools are often ignored in educational research. Practitioner research in this area is almost nonexistent, yet it can generate and disseminate insider knowledge that directly improves the educational sites from which it emerges. For the past 11 years, I have taught English at “St. Albert’s Preparatory School,” an all-boys suburban secondary school serving over 1,100 students in the Northeast. The school regularly speaks of fostering a brotherhood among the students, and I see evidence of this on a daily basis. However, St. Albert’s has not always been an easy place to work. My own experience is consistent with research studies that have found all-boys schools to be more sexist environments than all-girls schools (Lee, Marks, & Byrd, 1994) where ii students generally afford their female teachers less respect than their male teachers (Keddie, 2007; Keddie & Mills, 2007; Robinson, 2000). Based on my experiences as a female teacher at this school, I conducted a teacher research study on how my students and I constructed gender in the context of our English classroom. Drawing on a wealth of qualitative data sources, this study builds three main arguments: the school community built a brotherhood in part by engaging in silence and othering; the all-boys environment acted as a double-edged sword in that it contributed to a comfortable setting for the students to explore gender issues, but it also encouraged the students to shed their unique, multi-faceted masculinities and enact hegemonic gendered behavior that perpetuated an unjust order; and though I was well versed in issues of gender equity, I, too, was affected by the all-boys classroom space and contributed to the hegemonic gender order at the school. iii Dedication In some ways, I started this journey for my father. In some ways, I finished it for my mother and my husband. I dedicate this dissertation to all three of them. To Dad, Though you are not here to read it, I did finally write a book, and I think you’d find it pretty interesting. To my mother, Joni, who laid the foundation for my feminist stance long before I knew what one was… And to my husband, Brendan, who gave me the support to build upon it. iv Acknowledgements My work in this doctoral program, culminating in the completion of this dissertation, would not have been possible without the sacrifices and support of many people. First, to the one who sacrificed the most, my husband, Brendan. Thank you for holding down the fort, raising our children, feeding and walking our dogs, letting me take off for conference presentations and writing weekends, and for never, ever pointing out all that you were doing so that I could do this. If Janis Joplin is correct, and “all you ever gotta do is be a good man, one time, to one woman,” then this is the end of the road, babe! Your love and support amazes and humbles me. To my children, Avery Finn and Owen Thomas, for inspiring me to work toward a better, more just world, and for pulling no punches when reminding me what was at stake when I considered quitting. You were right; your mother is not a quitter. Remember that neither are you. To my mother, Joni Pesola, for her company on my conference trips and for asking the question in Vancouver, “What happened to you?” which served as a necessary wake-up call for me to look at the ways in which St. Albert’s had changed me. Sometimes, your honesty is just what I need. To my sister, Kara Pesola, and her husband, Scott Booth, for knowing when to listen to my philosophical musings, grad school rants, and classroom stories, and when to push back. I love our family unit, and you two add so much to the supportive dynamic. To my family friend and honorary aunt, Colleen Kigin, for her keen editing eye and willingness to read this long missive. I appreciate your comments and patience, especially since you did not have the option of reading the ending first! To my fellow gender and single-sex education researcher, Dr. Howard Glasser, for our many conversations on these topics. I am grateful to have you in my professional network and happy to call you a colleague. To my advisor, Marilyn Cochran-Smith, for encouraging me to pursue research in single- sex education from my first doctoral class, and continuing to acknowledge the value of this work to the end. More importantly, she nudged me to switch to a different pair of glasses when mine were too foggy or too rosy. I will be forever grateful for your guidance and your uncanny ability to know when to push me harder and when to pull back on the reigns. v To my committee member, Audrey Friedman, for her humor, pep talks, astute comments about my tone, and for recommending I talk to Jim Mahalik. You were the one to tell me I was accepted into the program, and I am honored you were there when I finished; English teachers like symmetry! To my committee member, Jim Mahalik, for his expertise in masculinity and for guiding me in his gentle way to look at fascinating works I would have not have found in the realm of teacher education. Every time I talked to you, it felt like an academic bear hug that encouraged me to move forward. To Amy Ryan, for serving so many roles for me over the course of my program, including boss, mentor, colleague, Dead Dad counselor, job contract negotiator, and friend. I don’t know how you switched hats so effortlessly (sometimes in the same conversation), but I consider you one of the angels sent to guide me. To my fellow Phenomenal Hot-tubbin’ Dissertators, Lianna Pizzo and Christine Power, for befriending me at the start and supporting me to the end. Lianna was particularly helpful with putting the bumps in the road in perspective and for giving me tastes of my own medicine. Christine was great company during our weekend writing retreats at the end, and our check-ins over dinner, hot-tubbing, and drinks were the pushes I needed to keep going and stay productive. I am so glad we were all in the same cohort. To my BC cohort members, especially Matt Welch, as well as those ahead of me, especially Renee Greenfield and Kara Mitchell, for their humor, spot-on advice and encouragement through this process. Your dissertation defenses inspired me! To Liz Mastrangelo, for commiserating over the difficulties of juggling motherhood, graduate school, teaching, writing, photo shoots, and concert-going. I value your friendship and support more than you know. To Tom Newkirk, for suggesting I pursue a Ph.D., and to Ed Hardiman for seconding that notion. They, along with Holli Levitsky, wrote my letters of recommendation for the doctoral program. I thank you all for saying something nice and for not being surprised when I was accepted. To the many supportive faculty and staff members at St. Albert’s, including all the faculty members who sat for interviews with me in 2008, and the many who have inquired about my progress along the way. In particular, Jennifer Jones was always willing to give me work space or take my class when I needed it, and Amir Ghali brought my computer back to life more than once throughout the dissertation process. vi To the administrative team at St. Albert’s, for having my back throughout this process, from reducing my teaching load while I took classes full time and giving me schedule flexibility to finish my writing, to praying for me, especially when I didn’t ask for it. I am fortunate to work with such supportive, kind-hearted people. Finally, to my English students, whose eager participation in this study made me obligated to finish it! I am particularly grateful for your candor and for motivating me to do my best day in and day out. I especially thank the focal students, Chris, Dane, Stokely, and Topher, for showing me the many facets of masculinity my students bring to the classroom everyday. I hold you all dear to my heart. vii Table of Contents Abstract i Dedication iii Acknowledgements Chapter One: Welcome to His-land: Make Your Own Map 1 St. Albert’s School: A Teacher’s Perspective 4 Single-Sex Education as a Way to Address Differences 8 St.

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