Inquiry-Based Fieldwork as Pedagogy for Exploring the World of Gendered Toys and Children’s Clothes

Abstract

Through the use of a class activity where students survey children’s toy and clothing department stores, this chapter examines the use of inquiry-based fieldwork as pedagogy for exploring issues of gender socialization and gender inequality. This chapter starts with a discussion of the literature on inquiry-based teaching and learning, then it discusses how to conduct an effective inquiry-based fieldwork. This is followed by a description of an application of this pedagogy in an Introduction to Sociology class, including the procedures, findings, and analysis, then situates these observations and findings within the existing literature on inequality and learning. The paper then concludes with an evaluation of the effectiveness of this pedagogy, and suggestions to instructors who may consider using this pedagogy.