Gender-Based Differences in Engineering Faculty Members’ View and Use of Student-Centered Learning Strategies

Abstract

Research indicates differences exist between male and female students’ preferences for pedagogical practices, such as collaborative learning. Less is known, however, about how male and female instructors view and utilize classroom strategies. To aid in exploring this new area, the Value, Expectancy, and Cost of Testing Educational Reforms Survey (VECTERS) was completed by engineering faculty members to assess dispositions towards, and use of, three student-centered learning strategies: formative feedback to adjust instruction, real-world applications, and student-to-student discussions. While there were no gender-based differences regarding reported frequency of using student-centered strategies, there were significant attitude differences — for instance, female faculty members were significantly more confident in the value and expectancy of success for real-world applications and formative feedback. There were, however, no gender-based differences in perception of costs of implementing student-centered strategies.