Gender Differences in Teacher’s Pedagogical Practices and Attitudes towards Students’ Learning

Abstract

Education is crucial for building a strong and developed nation. Formal education begins with primary education which includes a variety of subjects such as Mathematics, languages, Science, Social studies, etc. Teachers’ Pedagogical Practices and Attitudes are vital for the teaching of a variety of subjects at the primary level. The study was opted to explore the Gender Differences in Teacher’s Pedagogical Practices and Attitudes towards Students' Learning. It is a case study of primary schools of district Sargodha having only one teacher. The research utilized a survey methodology in conjunction with a descriptive strategy to collect data. The 74 single elementary teachers in District Sargodha, both male and female, made up the population and sample. Data collection was conducted through personal visits using two questionnaires (1^st for Pedagogical Practices and 2^nd for Attitude towards student learning) that included a demographic variable (Gender) too. These questions were verified by specialists and pilot-tested, resulting in a Cronbach Alpha score of 0.92. The data analysis was conducted utilizing statistical measures such as frequencies, percentages, mean scores, and independent sample t-tests. There was no significant difference between the views of single primary school male and female teachers about pedagogical practices and their factors (lesson plan, teaching methods, teacher behavior, instructional materials/technology assessment, community involvement) but a significant difference existed in classroom management (p-value=0.03<0.05) between male and female where male teacher better regarding classroom management. There was also no significant difference between male and female single primary school teachers’ attitude towards students learning. It is recommended that single primary school teachers (Male/Female) be facilitated through training in classroom management.