Primary school classroom managment in the U.K: What role does teacher gender play?

Presently, only 13% of primary school teachers in the UK are male. With the ongoing worldwide debate about the educational performance highlighting the widening gender gap between girl and boy pupils, the demand for more... [ view full abstract ]

Presently, only 13% of primary school teachers in the UK are male. With the ongoing worldwide debate about the educational performance highlighting the widening gender gap between girl and boy pupils, the demand for more male teachers has become prevalent in educational discourse. Some scholars suggest that girls’ academic performance may be due to the feminization of the teaching profession which has provided boys with too few male role models. Others claim that male teachers have a different discipline style to females, especially when interacting with boys.  Men who teach often self-report to do so differently than women, suggesting they can bring something distinctive to the role. Male teachers state they are more disciplinarian; use more ‘masculine’ teaching methods (i.e. competitions); and are more direct in their teaching style in comparison to females who claim to take a more collaborative learning approach.  However there has been little research into the actual language practices that men use in the classroom.   

This paper is based on data collected in 3 co-ed primary schools in Hertfordshire male and female teachers from each (N= 12).  Each teacher video-recorded their lessons for 2 full days, resulting in approximately 120 hours of data which was transcribed and thematically coded using Nvivo 11+. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with all the teachers to gather their views on the key issues prominent in education debates today.  

Initial data analysis reveals that despite teacher gender, teachers typically employ similar classroom management strategies which are explained in this paper by their surrounding Community of Practice.  However, there are some differences in how teachers enact such strategies in terms of the linguistic styles used.  Early results show that male teachers employ stereotypical ‘feminine’ strategies, while female teachers utilise what have previously been classes as ‘masculine’ speech styles.  This paper will contribute to the current debates in education, as well as the arena of language, gender and workplace discourse.