Marshall, C. S., & Reinhartz, J. (1997). Gender issues in the classroom. The Clearing House, 70(6), 333-337.
The authors of this article argue that gender biases exist in classrooms across the U.S. and that many teachers are unaware that they do. They mention a study from 1995 which investigated “verbal interaction patterns in elementary, secondary, and college classrooms in a variety of settings and subject areas” showed that “girls receive fewer academic contacts, are asked lower level questions, and are provided less constructive feedback and encouragement than boys” (p. 333). The article, however, do not only discusses the gender roles of the students but also “the gender differences in teachers and the impact that those differences have on teaching and learning” (p. 334). The authors conclude that male teachers tend to be “more dominant and authoritarian” and “more direct with students” and “more subject-centered,” while female teachers tend to be “more indirect,” to “ask more questions” and to be “more student-centered” (p. 334). They ask teachers to monitor and self-reflect their own “instructional behavior” (p. 335) in the classroom in order to examine if and when they tread male and female students differently. They also say that teachers can challenge the gender bias by displaying “nontraditional” materials that challenge typical gender roles and/or invite “nontraditional” guest speakers (e.g. female doctors, mathematicians) (p. 336).
This article uses the words ‘boys’ and ‘girls’ when referring to male and female students. It discusses students of a younger age, probably students that are in elementary school. The topic of this article, however, can be extrapolated for other age groups as well. For anyone who is interested in learning more about gender biases in the classroom, this article is a first step into the subject. It does also show that the topic has become more diverse in the last 20 years since the authors do not mention any gender issues that go beyond the male-female binary. The following two aspects might be helpful for second language teachers to improve their students experience in the classroom: (1) the advice to monitor ones behavior in the classroom, and (2) the advice to bring in materials or visitors that challenge normative gender roles.