As I continue to look into virtual education's ability to level the playing field I began to question how gender is affected by online learning. In my searching I came across a paper written by two authors from UNITEC Institute of Technology in New Zealand titled "Does Gender Matter in Online Learning?" which immediately caught my attention.
The research in this paper consider questions regarding student motivation, preferred study methods, personal commitments, access to technology, and support methods where the population of the study were first year students in an internet and web design course. The data for the study was collected in pre and post-course surveys, student assessments, and focus groups.
While this study showed that women appear to do better in the course they authors found that it is the study skills that the women who took the course had that helped them complete the course more successfully than the young males encountering the same materials. The mature women who were successful in this course had time management skills and worked when they could avoid distractions and found online learning to be flexible and convenient.
One of the questions that came out of this study that I found to be interesting is whether a course should be offered or required on "how to learn successfully online." I think this is an important aspect that should be considered. In working with my host teacher and reviewing the information that is given to the students as they begin the virtual course they are given study tips during their introduction to the course. As I spoke with my virtual school host this week she emphasized the need for students to possess time management and study skills, which at the middle grades level often has to be reinforced by a very involved parent, no matter what the student's gender is.
Perhaps there should be a short introductory online course offered in virtual schools that teach study skills and time management.
http://hyperdisc.unitec.ac.nz/research/ALTJpaper_9.pdf
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3 comments:
How interesting that the school is set up in a corporate fashion, and that it is set up in a "customer service" model. My host teacher shared very similar information about the number of credits each teacher is expected to teach in a school year-120. I did not know that teachers were on annual contracts, though.
Here are some thoughts on funding, diversity of schools, and the learning gap. I do agree that virtual schools allow students to bridge the gap, since funding is not based on area economics. There could still be a gap, though, and that would be possibly based on socio-economic status, or family situations. What about the student who wants to attend a virtual school, but does not have a computer or internet access at home? What if the family is not able or willing to join in the partnership with the school and the student? For science, what if the student cannot afford to purchase lab materials required by some courses? My host teacher and I were discussing this last question today. She told me that the middle school science courses require students to purchase materials and do labs at home. Sometimes a parent confides that they cannot afford or find the materials. The teacher would have to make the call on what to do in that situation.
The issue of gender is certainly an interesting one. If you go to a store that sells gaming software, it seems to me that about 80% of the customers are males. When I look at the computer classes taught at my school, more males than females are enrolled. Those two observations might lead me to conclude that males would do better than females in online courses. But the study you cite from New Zealand seems to indicate that females do better than males in online courses. Do females tend to do better than males in traditional courses as well? Does it depend on the subject matter of the course? Is it due to their maturity level, organizational skills, and ability to concentrate? Very interesting questions to ponder.
I also thought that males would tend to do better than females in virtual classes. Assuming the higher technology comfort level. I also find that males have more trouble sitting for longer class periods and assumed that virtual classes were less rigid in the moment to moment schedule.
I would like to see similar studies done, but in various types of virtual learning.
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