Journal of new advances in English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics

Journal of new advances in English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics

Gender Differences in Perceptions of Pedagogical Competence and Student Achievement: A Study of Iranian Junior High School EFL Teachers and Their Students

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Fatemeh Owliaei
Seyedeh Khadijeh Najafi
Zahra Khajeh
Department of English, Kazerun Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kazerun, Iran
10.22034/jeltal.2023.5.2.2
Abstract
This study explored the impact of gender on the perceived pedagogical competences of Iranian EFL teachers and the academic achievements of junior high school students. Specifically, it examined differences between male and female English teachers' pedagogical skills and their students’ performance. A total of 30 English teachers (15 male and 15 female) participated in the study. They completed a self-report questionnaire consisting of 53 items to assess their perceptions of perceived pedagogical competence. In addition, 744 ninth-grade students (379 male and 365 female) from various high schools in Kazerun, Fars, Iran, were selected. Their academic achievements were evaluated using standardized test scores from their final English exams, retrieved from school records. The findings, analyzed using an Independent Sample T-Test, indicated a significant difference in pedagogical competence between male and female teachers, with male teachers scoring higher. However, the results of the Mann-Whitney U test revealed no significant difference in the academic achievement test scores between male and female students. The study concludes by discussing the implications of these findings. For EFL learners, these implications indicate that teacher gender may not directly influence academic achievement, emphasizing the need for students to focus on developing effective learning strategies, independent of teacher characteristics.
Keywords
male and female junior high school students
students' academic achievement
male and female EFL teachers’ pedagogical competences
Journal of new advances in English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics
Volume 5, Issue 2 - Serial Number 2
September 2023
Pages 1277-1294

  • Receive Date 02 May 2023
  • Revise Date 27 June 2023
  • Accept Date 29 June 2023