Gender and technology understanding in the danish elementary school: A study of how gender stereotypes are reproduced in the classroom and how an experimental framework opened up opportunities for new identities and weakened gender stereotypes

There is currently a strong focus on technological education programs in Danish elementary and lower secondary schools to enhance students’ technology skills. One of these initiatives is the national program ‘Technology Understanding’, which introduces technology understanding as a separate subject in the curriculum. There is some concern that neither this program nor the other technological education programs appear to address certain issues that may be associated with the field. One key issue concerns gendered expectations and students’ and teachers’ prejudices when it comes to gender and technology. Studies have shown that girls often lack confidence and belief in their own technological abilities. This paper is based on findings from a qualitative case analysis conducted in a second grade class that participated in the national project ‘Technology Understanding’. The findings show how traditional gender stereotypes are reproduced in the classroom. However, they also show how an experimental framework with a high degree of student engagement in defining content and working methods seems to open up opportunities for new methods, identities, and weakened gender stereotypes.