Assistant Professor, EDCP
Research Interest in ECED:
Dr. Keenan is currently working on a project examining the co-construction of race and gender in early childhood by conducting qualitative research in kindergarten and first-grade classrooms in two major North American cities. His study will examine what young children’s early schooling experiences reveal about how gender is constructed and formalized in public education. Three objectives drive the study:
1) To analyze how primary schooling gives meaning to gender, particularly in conjunction with other social categories (e.g. sexuality, race, ethnicity, nationality) with specific attention to teaching practice
2) To explore how young children respond to what they are taught in school about gender and its relationship to other social categories, and
3) To share knowledge gained from the study with key stakeholders in order to advance anti-racist and decolonizing approaches to gender education in schools.
