GENDER BASED EDUCATION

Gender based education

Literature Review: Gender Based education

Gender-based learning differences are most pronounced in the areas of motivation and quantitative skills. While there is no significant differences in extrinsic motivation between male and female business students (Fraser, Lytle, & Stolle, 1978; Tyson, 2001), Tyson found differences between the sexes in intrinsic motivation. Females scored significantly higher on "work needs" (the desire to perform a task well), slightly lower on "mastery needs" the desire for new and challenging tasks), and significantly lower on "interpersonal competitiveness" (the desire to outperform others). Research indicates that academic performance is positively correlated with high work and mastery needs and negatively correlated with high interpersonal competitiveness (Williams, 2001). Since several studies have shown that females perform better in the business classroom than males (Mutchler, Turner, & Williams, 2001; Bayes & Nash, 2001), Tyson (2001) concluded that this is because of these intrinsic motivation differences.

While these studies did not differentiate between "adult learners" (generally reported as 25 years and over [Bishop-Clark & Lynch, 1992; Hite, Bellizzi, & Busch, 2001]) and "traditional" students (under 25), research does indicate that adult female business students are significantly more motivated than their traditional female counterparts (Sizoo, Bearson, & Malhotra, 1996).

Research shows that males demonstrate higher quantitative skills in the business classroom (Tyson, 2001). Further, Hite, et al (2001) report that both male and female adult learners have initially inferior math skills compared to traditional students. These weaker quantitative skills typically result in higher levels of student anxiety (Bogue, 1993). Motivation and anxiety are both issues that profoundly affect learning, but they can be addressed through improved learning and study strategies (Bogue, 1993). Sadler-Smith et al. (2000) found that males and females differ in terms of information processing--males process faster but at a more superficial level than females.

Learning strategies are behaviors intended to influence how the learner processes information (Mayer, 2004). More specifically, they are "any behaviors or thoughts that facilitate encoding in such a way that knowledge integration and retrieval are enhanced" (Weinstein, 2004, p. 291).

The expanded interest in learning strategies is a result of the large and growing number of academically underprepared or disadvantaged students entering the college classroom (Weinstein, 2004). To deal with this development, many postsecondary institutions have created programs that help incoming students learn-how-to-learn (Noel & Levitz, 2001). Studies indicate that the more the student understands about how they learn, the more likely they will become independent, responsible, self-confident learners (Sims & Ehrhardt, 1978; Myers, 1992).

Much of the work done in the area of learning strategies has focused on the adult learner (Weinstein, 2004). This is clearly appropriate since research suggests that returning to the classroom is a difficult experience for many adults. They feel intimidated by the college environment (Day, 1980; Hughes, 1983; McIntyre, 1981) and their skills have often become "rusty" (Hite, et al, 2001, p. 13).

Weinstein (2001) recommends that students consider improving their weaker learning and study skills in order to optimize their academic performance. According to the results of this study, the adult ...