The effects of gender on university classroom interaction

Post secondary classroom interaction research has been dominated by the question of a "chilly-climate" (Hall & Sandler, 1982), in which male instructors through passive or even negative communications actively seek to deter female students from participating. This study seeks to go beyond the sexism argument and explore gender differences in discourse. Using primary data collection methods of qualitative categorical development and quantitative data analysis, the researcher observed and coded 400 interaction events within 150 to 160 minutes of observation in five different courses. The results suggest female and male teachers respond to students with statistically equal rates of affirmation and deterrence. Further, the use of attachments, question-types, comment-types, and interruption rates vary by instructor sex and teaching method, but these items did not show an overall significant difference between male and female students. However, a moderate to strong gender alignment between students and instructors was observed. Male students were more likely to initiate an event in classes taught by men, while female students were most likely to initiate an event in classes taught by women. Future research in similar environments such as the family or occupation settings where super subordinate interaction occurs in front of a secondary audience is necessary to examine the generalizability of gender alignment.