The Effect of Teaching Styles on Student-Teacher Interaction in a University: A Gender Based Analysis

Abstract

Globally, teaching is one of the most renowned professions as teachers play an
important role in the character building of not only the students but the people of any
area. The present study aimed to explore the gender difference in teaching styles and
how it affects the interaction between students and teachers; how it enhances the
motivation and discipline of students. It also attempted to explore whether students
feel that differences in teaching styles are effective to enhance their learning and
academic performance. The students both male and female were selected through
purposive sampling techniques. In-depth interviews were conducted with the help of a
structured interview protocol by Ya-Ching Chang (2010). The participants (n=12)
included 6 boys and 6 girls within the age group of 18-24 years. The sample was chosen
from the public university of Lahore. The thematic analysis was used to bring out the
emerging themes. The study identified three major themes. The participants perceived
the issues of partiality and punctuality among teachers. Both male and female
participants mostly perceived male faculty members to be more empathetic and
maintained better discipline among students and motivated the students to learn.