Gender Differences in Perceptions of the Role of the Lecturer in Online Courses

Hava Sason, Herzog College

https://doi.org/10.9743/JEO.2023.20.4.21

Abstract

The goal of this study was to explore the differences between male and female students regarding their expectations of lecturers in asynchronous, online courses. The participants in the study were 520 BA students at a teachers’ college who attended asynchronous online classes. They answered a closed-ended questionnaire about the role of the lecturer in online courses. Our analysis of their answers showed four factors related to the role of the teacher in distance learning: pedagogical, technical, affective, and differential. The findings of this study indicate that the lecturer’s pedagogical role was ranked highest by both male and female students, and the technical role was ranked lowest by both groups. Differences between the gender groups were found regarding the affective role, which was ranked higher by male students than female students, and regarding the pedagogical role, which was ranked higher by female students than male students.

Keywords: online learning; teacher’s role; gender.