Getting the Floor

1
Getting the Floor

• Professor Student Gender Interaction

Megan Christofferson, Wataru Ebina, Leslie Liang,
Mackenzie Price, Nick Wright March 1, 2006
Linguistics 156
2
Outline

• The Interesting Question
• Does the gender of the professor affect how male
  or female students get the floor in classrooms?
• Methodology
• Calculations
• Results
• Further Analysis
• QA

Megan Christofferson, Wataru Ebina, Leslie Liang,
Mackenzie Price, Nick Wright March 1, 2006
Linguistics 156
3
The Question

• Expected Stereotype
• Students will participate more in classes with
  same-gender instructors
• More hand raising with female instructors
• Independent variable
• Professor Gender
• Dependent variables
• Male participation vs. female participation
• Hand raising vs. shouting out
• Assumption
• Not strongly dependent on class gender ratio

Megan Christofferson, Wataru Ebina, Leslie Liang,
Mackenzie Price, Nick Wright March 1, 2006
Linguistics 156
4
Methodology

• (il)Legitimacy of Assumption
• Correlation Coefficient
• X-axis males in class
• Y-axis gender participation
• Linear correlation with R2 0.6191, 0.5998
• Class participation is somewhat correlated with
  class gender ratio
• Greater female students in female-instructed
  classes, and vice versa
• Chi-Square Bivariate Test
• Correlation between two variables

Megan Christofferson, Wataru Ebina, Leslie Liang,
Mackenzie Price, Nick Wright March 1, 2006
Linguistics 156
5
Methodology
Chi-Square (Bivariate)
Chi-square ?
3.841 for 5 significance
Megan Christofferson, Wataru Ebina, Leslie Liang,
Mackenzie Price, Nick Wright March 1, 2006
Linguistics 156
6
Calculations
Gaining the Floor
Chi-square 3.54
3.841 for 5 significance
Megan Christofferson, Wataru Ebina, Leslie Liang,
Mackenzie Price, Nick Wright March 1, 2006
Linguistics 156
7
Calculations
Megan Christofferson, Wataru Ebina, Leslie Liang,
Mackenzie Price, Nick Wright March 1, 2006
Linguistics 156
8
Calculations
Male vs. Female Student Participation Overall
Chi-square 31.16
3.841 for 5 significance
Megan Christofferson, Wataru Ebina, Leslie Liang,
Mackenzie Price, Nick Wright March 1, 2006
Linguistics 156
9
Calculations
Raised Hands
Chi-square 11.92
3.841 for 5 significance
Megan Christofferson, Wataru Ebina, Leslie Liang,
Mackenzie Price, Nick Wright March 1, 2006
Linguistics 156
10
Calculations
Shout Out
Chi-square 10.68
3.841 for 5 significance
Megan Christofferson, Wataru Ebina, Leslie Liang,
Mackenzie Price, Nick Wright March 1, 2006
Linguistics 156
11
Results

• Summary of Results
• Students participate more when the instructor is
  of the same gender.
• No significant difference in the way M/F get the
  floor.
• Data show that M/F students raise their hands and
  shout out more in classes taught by the same
  gender.

Megan Christofferson, Wataru Ebina, Leslie Liang,
Mackenzie Price, Nick Wright March 1, 2006
Linguistics 156
12
Analysis

• Possible reasons to explain this trend
• A person might feel more comfortable
  (intimidated) in the presence of an instructor of
  the same (opposite) gender.
• Students don't learn as much from instructors of
  their own gender, creating the need to ask more
  questions.
• Stereotypes held by the student about the
  professor (what gender an effective professor in
  the field ought to be) might play a role.
• Conclusions
• We conclude that students participate more often
  in classes taught by instructors of the same
  gender than the opposite gender.
• However we can't make further overarching
  conjectures without a much more in depth study of
  the subject.

Megan Christofferson, Wataru Ebina, Leslie Liang,
Mackenzie Price, Nick Wright March 1, 2006
Linguistics 156
13
Further Investigation

• Further Investigation
• Tying in the variable that there are more F
  students in F instructor classes and vice versa.
• Whether the professor being faculty or
  non-faculty affects participation in any way.
• Q A

Megan Christofferson, Wataru Ebina, Leslie Liang,
Mackenzie Price, Nick Wright March 1, 2006
Linguistics 156
14
Further Investigation
Megan Christofferson, Wataru Ebina, Leslie Liang,
Mackenzie Price, Nick Wright March 1, 2006
Linguistics 156
15
Further Investigation
Megan Christofferson, Wataru Ebina, Leslie Liang,
Mackenzie Price, Nick Wright March 1, 2006
Linguistics 156
16
Further Investigation
Megan Christofferson, Wataru Ebina, Leslie Liang,
Mackenzie Price, Nick Wright March 1, 2006
Linguistics 156