A Classroom Case
Gender and Language
1, Who speaks more often?
I evaluated a Spanish 101 class that contained 11 women and 5 men. In comparison, the women spoke more than the men. The women spoke 36 times and the men spoke 7 times.
2. How long do they speak on average?
Male students said an average of 12 words and spoke for about 8 secs. Female students said an average of 20 words and spoke for about 15 secs.
3. What tendencies do you notice in the way women and men present themselves when speaking?
In a language class, it depends a lot on interacting, going back and forth, as well as making mistakes. The women were more likely to raise their hands and volunteer to read or answer questions in Spanish. Although all student are beginners, the women were more comfortable with being wrong which lead to more attempts made. The men were more laid back, quiet, and less participatory. On occasion they would have confident moments. All the students answered with a similar timidness and hesitation, often prefacing their answers with “I don’t know if this is right but...”. This has a lot to do with the fact that they are being taught a subject that is foreign to everyone.
4. What is the instructor’s role in encouraging or discouraging communication, either through words or through body language?
The instructor provides a very energetic environment and encourages all the students to participate. The instructor often uses the volunteer system. After that, he will call on those who make eye contact with him or on students who tend to participate or have participated earlier. On occasion he will try to choose those who have not participated at all.
5. How often does the instructor call on women? Men?
The instructor calls on women more. This is mostly because, women are the won who voluntarily raise their hands or the ones who try to participate.
6. Does the instructor’s own gender seem to influence the way he or she interacts with members of the class?
The instructor’s gender does not seem to have an impact on his interaction with the class. He is mindful that in Spanish (like in many romance languages), there is “gender bias”. For example, a group of all women and one man can be addressed with the word chicos (male pupils) as opposed to chicas (female pupils). Therefore, he acknowledges that and tries to say chicos y (and) chicas.
