STEM subjects are science, technology, engineering, and maths. These subjects can be taught by a male or female teacher. The trend has been to teach STEM subjects by a female teacher because girls are more likely to pursue STEM careers than boys. However, this trend has changed recently, with more males wanting to teach these subjects. Some research has found that there are benefits of either having a male or female teaching STEM subjects. Males may have an edge regarding content knowledge, but females may have an edge when meeting students’ needs.
Male teachers vs. female teachers in STEM subjects
Below is an overview of some benefits of using a male vs. female teacher when teaching STEM subjects:
1. Content knowledge
There is often a misconception that males have a greater level of content knowledge than females. However, this is untrue, as research shows that males and females do not differ in the levels of content knowledge. The only difference is that males tend to have more excellent content knowledge than females in maths. This can be attributed to the fact that males are more likely than females to start maths early. Males also tend to study mathematics more and are better at ignoring irrelevant information.
2. Self-perception
It is generally believed that women have lower self-esteem than men. This may be due to the differences in socialization regarding education and achievement between males and females. A study found that young girls were more concerned about their performance in science classes than boys. This could be because of societal pressures that steer girls away from pursuing STEM-related careers or because females tend to have lower expectations for themselves. If you need help writing your essay, someone to write my essay for me will help you with your essay.
3. Gender difference in motivation
Research has shown that men are more likely to pursue STEM-related careers than women because they are more likely to view STEM fields as higher status, better paying, and more challenging. This contrasts the perceived gender difference that women do not want to work longer hours and will accept a lower-status job.
4. Conditioning
Another reason why males tend to be more interested in STEM subjects than females is due to the discovery that men have a more challenging time quitting smoking than females. This may be because males have a higher motivation than females when it comes to quitting smoking and thus are more likely to achieve this goal.
5. Influence of student achievement
Students’ achievement in STEM subjects also affects the likelihood that students will pursue a STEM-related career. Females often outperform males in STEM-related outcomes such as reading and writing. As a result, females tend to be more interested in these fields than males. However, some males succeed in these areas and perform better than their female counterparts.
Conclusion
The above benefits of having a male or female teacher are valid for all STEM subjects. While having a male teacher does not always produce better student outcomes, it does have some positive effects. As long as you pick the right subject and have a good teacher who enhances your learning process, your student’s results will not be affected by the gender of their teacher.