Role models serve important functions for students, providing standards against which students can evaluate themselves, and motivating students toward innovative achievement. The findings of a study show that students tend to prefer models of the same sex. (Author/MLW)

This article analyzes the interaction between sex role and "pupil role" in the early childhood education setting. It postulates that teachers and schools have a demonstrated investment in socializing children to a passive, docile, and dependent role, beginning at the preschool level. This role, called "pupil role," corresponds closely to the…