Teaching Style Differences between Male and Female Science Teachers in Qatari Schools: Possible Impact on Student Achievement

Ziad Said,Heather L Friesen,Ahmad A El-Emadi

doi:10.29333/ejmste/109236

Abstract

In Qatar’s gender-segregated public schools, female students outperform male students in international science tests such as PISA and TIMMS. In contrast to the international trend for top performing countries, however, female students report lower levels of interest in science-based careers than males. One possible factor that may contribute to this discrepancy is the difference in teaching styles between female teachers and their male counterparts. In this paper we focus on results obtained from 105 classroom observations (39 males and 66 females) selected from 50 different public schools as part of two independent research projects to study the motivation factors and attitudes toward and interest in science among Qatari students. In addition, 40 semi-structured interviews of students, teachers and administrators were conducted. The observations were guided using an adopted Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) evaluation rubric consisting of 13 teaching traits which provides a standardized mean for detecting the degree to which science classroom instruction is reformed through a focus on Lesson Design, Content, Pedagogic Knowledge and classroom culture. Female teachers provided better delivery during theory classes, whereas male teachers demonstrated better performance in laboratory-based classes.

Highlights

Student decisions about study and career paths are based primarily upon interest in a particular field, and on their perception of job prospects in that field
In this paper we focus on results obtained from 105 classroom observations (39 males and 66 females) selected from 50 different public schools as part of two independent research projects to study the motivation factors and attitudes toward and interest in science among Qatari students
This paper explores the general features of instructional science practices and teaching styles of male and female teachers in Qatari gender-segregated public schools

Summary

Introduction

Student decisions about study and career paths are based primarily upon interest in a particular field, and on their perception of job prospects in that field. Findings (Said, Al-Emadi, Friesen, & Adam, 2018) suggest that while Qatari students are positive in their interests, attitudes, and self-efficacy, they do not translate to outcomes in TIMSS and PISA reports, and there exists no statistically significant difference in these variables between male and female students; the findings indicated that science career interest was low among female students. Effective Delivery of Practical in Science (EDPS) project: This was part of a project entitled “Development of a Framework for Practical Science in Alignment with Curriculum Standards of Grades 3-12 of Schools in Qatar” The goal of this project was to identify factors that encourage the delivery of quality practical work (hands-on lab experiments, virtual labs, models or other related activities such as use of posters, charts and other secondary data) in school science in addition to those barriers that may inhibit it, to develop a framework to encourage and support the effective use of practical work in school science in Qatar aligned to the national science curriculum standards, and to propose a strategy for implementation. The number of technicians is not adequate to handle the increasing number of students in the school system, with a particular deficiency evident in female schools

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion