Gender Differences in Advice-giving among Jordanian Undergraduate Students at BAU

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the differences in the understanding of how to give advice among Jordanian male and female students at Al- Balqa' Applied University (henceforth, BAU). In addition, it aims to provide explanations of these prominent differences between the two participating groups. Hinkel’s (1997) Multiple Choice Questionnaire (MCQ) is used as a data collection instrument. The questionnaire is translated into Arabic to ensure that participants truly comprehend the situations. Results demonstrate that there are differences between the two participating groups. For example, Jordanian male students favour to give advice indirectly more than using hedge advice, direct advice and opting out in both peer acquaintance and instructor situations. On the other hand, Jordanian female students prefer to use hedge advice in responding to both peer acquaintance and instructor situations more frequently than using direct advice, indirect advice and opting out. The present study concludes with a discussion of essential directions for future research.