Children are known for picking up on certain behaviors of adults. However, a new study suggests that when people highlight gender to young children, stereotyped views are promoted.

According to researchers from Pennsylvania State University, gender in preschool classrooms can be very noticeable - particularly to students. For example, when a teacher says "good morning boys and girls" or instructs students to do things by gender, it could be viewed as grouping sexes.

In the study, researchers evaluated 57 preschool students over a two-week period in two separate schools. One class was asked to avoid making divisions by sex, while the other classroom used gender-dividing instructions.

The researchers found that children in the classroom that avoided gender stereotypes showed no difference in response or behavior, while students from the other school had overall increased stereotypical attitudes, which ultimately decreased their desire to play with the other gender.

Ultimately, the researchers suggest that teachers should be conscious of students picking up on gender stereotypes and may want to consider adopting their instructions in order to ensure that no characterizations are made within the classroom.

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