Teacher Influences

Guzetti and Williams (1996) found many students have experienced inadequate situations and were aware of gender disparity in classroom discussions or instruction. An investigation provided a plethora of evidence of student awareness of gender disparity and both males and females consistently reported males' domination of certain subjects, especially science. Guzetti & Williams (1996) conducted the research on male and female students in the traditional classroom. Their data indicated female students attributed gender disparity to the male students in the class, and not the male teacher (Guzetti & Williams, 1996).

The American Association of University Women (1992) published an important report dealing with gender inequity in the classroom. The report noted that females receive less attention from teachers, and this attention is more often negative or contradictory. According to the American Association of University Women (AAUW) research (1992), " In a co-ed classroom: Teachers call on boy students four times more often than the girls; Teachers most often direct the 'challenging questions' to the boys while the female students receive less 'difficult questions'; Teachers are far more likely to 'praise and give positive reinforcement' to the intellectual contributions of males in the classroom, while making note of the socialization skills of girls; In general, teachers give more attention to boys than to girls."(AAUW report, 1992). Many studies have been conducted on students in traditional classrooms and the inequalities they face. The research shows inequities amongst males and females in the traditional classroom and that gender discrimination is a practice used frequently by teachers. Many teachers are unaware of bias and unequal notions conducted during their instruction. Biased classroom interactions decrease young girl's confidence in their intellectual abilities (Crawford & MacLeod, 1990). It is also likely that females are not offered the necessary encouragement to excel in subject areas such: science and math (Campbell & Evans, 1994).

On the other hand, a study found that males are more frequently rewarded for intelligent answers and innate ability (Byrd, Campbell, Evans, and Jones, 1997). The authors concluded this differential treatment given to males and females sends subtle messages to all students that high academic achievement is considered a male domain.

A common misconception of teachers is their belief that all will be well if teachers intend to be fair to female and male students and reflect periodically about whether or not they treat students equitably (Lundeberg, 1997). Teachers are generally unaware of gender inequities among students in their verbal interactions (Guzetti & Williams, 1996). Teachers can observe gender bias in discussion by looking for specific behaviors that characterize the bias, however awareness is not sufficient for change (Guzetti & Williams, 1996).

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