PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

College classrooms are still chilly for women, as men speak more

Gendered participation has a long way to go to reach equity

College classrooms are still chilly for women, as men speak more
2021-01-19
(Press-News.org) Men speak 1.6 times more often than women in college classrooms, revealing how gender inequities regarding classroom participation still exist, according to a Dartmouth study. By comparison, women are more hesitant to speak and are more apt to use apologetic language. The findings are published in Gender & Society.

When students didn't have to raise their hands to participate in class, men spoke three times more often than women. "You would think that it would be more equitable for students to not have to raise their hands to speak in class because then anyone could talk but our results showed otherwise. The higher level of participation relates to the idea of who may have felt like they were entitled to speak or had permission to do so," explains Janice McCabe, an associate professor of sociology at Dartmouth College. "Once you take away the structure of a professor calling on students, you see more of the cultural expectations that people may have, and the gender hierarchies present in the college classroom today."

For the study, McCabe and Jennifer J. Lee '17, a sociology major at Dartmouth, whose senior thesis focused on this work, sought out to find out if a "chilly climate" still exists in college classrooms. They wanted to see if things had changed, following research in the 1990s on the topic by Myra Sadker and David Sadker. The term, "chilly climate," was first coined by Robert M. Hall and Bernice R. Sanders in 1982, as part of their research on gender dynamics in the classroom.

Through 80 class sessions, Lee observed 95 hours of classes in nine courses in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. The class sizes ranged between 10 and 40 students. The gender ratio in the classes varied and five of the nine classes had a larger percentage of female students. Five of the nine classes were taught by women. The students' and professors' exact words and body language was observed, so that both the frequency and the context of engagement was documented. The researchers analyzed the data using a software that codes the behavior, which helped them identify patterns across the results.

In all nine courses, men spoke out without raising their hands more than women. Men used more assertive language and were more likely to interrupt others regardless of the gender make-up of the class or gender of the professor. Men also participated in more follow-up discussions (31 vs. 7) and prolonged conversation (28 vs. 3) with professors than women.

When professors took proactive measures to engage all students, such as by having clear parameters for participation or by deliberately calling on female students who had not had a chance to speak, this created an environment for a more equitable discussion.

In U.S. colleges, women outnumber men. McCabe adds that "Our results demonstrate that women's voices still may not be heard, and that gender hierarchies continue to persist. Once students and professors are cognizant of these gender dynamics in the classroom, it is easier to change them."

INFORMATION:

McCabe is available for comment at: janice.m.mccabe@dartmouth.edu. Study co-author Jennifer J. Lee is now in a Ph.D. program in the department of sociology at Indiana University.


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
College classrooms are still chilly for women, as men speak more

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

E-cigarettes stress lungs, impair protein function

E-cigarettes stress lungs, impair protein function
2021-01-19
RICHLAND, Wash.--E-cigarettes stress and inflame the lungs of rats, compromising important regulatory proteins through exposure, according to research recently published in the journal Redox Biology. The findings, made possible by a biomolecular technique developed by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, reveal that vaping induces subtle structural changes in proteins, marking the first time researchers have measured such damage. The results suggest that common compounds in the electronic alternative to conventional cigarettes are not without their own harms. After exposing rats to e-cigarette vapor for three one-hour sessions ...

NUS engineers create 'smart' aerogel that turns air into drinking water

NUS engineers create smart aerogel that turns air into drinking water
2021-01-19
Some say future wars will be fought over water, and a billion people around the world are already struggling to find enough water to live. Now, researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) are coming to the rescue. They have created a substance that extracts water from air without any external power source. In the earth's atmosphere, there is water that can fill almost half a trillion Olympic swimming pools. But it has long been overlooked as a source for potable water. To extract water from this under utilised source, a team led by Professor Ho Ghim Wei from the NUS Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering created a type of aerogel, a solid material that weighs almost nothing. Under the microscope, it looks like a sponge, but it ...

World's first test to accurately predict depression and bipolar disorder

2021-01-19
University of South Australia scientists have developed the world's first test to accurately predict mood disorders in people, based on the levels of a specific protein found in the brain. Links between low levels of mature brain-derived neurotrophic factor (mBDNF) and depression are well known but, until now, it hasn't been possible to distinguish between the three forms of the BDNF protein in blood samples. The mature form promotes the growth of neurons and protects the brain, but the other two BDNF forms - its precursor and the prodomain of BDNF - bind to different receptors, causing nerve degeneration ...

Armouring anti-cancer T cells against immunosuppressants

2021-01-19
SINGAPORE, 19 January 2021 - Duke-NUS Medical School researchers, together with collaborators in Singapore, have designed armoured immune cells that can attack recurring cancer in liver transplant patients, while temporarily evading immunosuppressant drugs patients take to avoid organ rejection. The findings were published in the journal Hepatology. Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type of primary liver cancer and the sixth most common cancer worldwide. It often develops in people with chronic liver disease following hepatitis B infection. A common treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma is to completely ...

Direct quantification of topological protection in photonic edge states at telecom wavelengths

Direct quantification of topological protection in  photonic edge states at telecom wavelengths
2021-01-19
Topologically tailored photonic crystals (PhC) have opened up the possibility for attaining robust unidirectional transport of classical and quantum systems. The demand for unprecedented guiding capabilities that support unhindered transport around imperfections and sharp corners at telecom wavelengths, without the need for any optimization, is fundamental for efficient distribution of information through dense on-chip photonic networks. However, transport properties of experimental realizations of such topologically non-trivial states have been inferred by transmission measurements and even though robustness ...

Modulating helical nanostructures in liquid crystal phase by molecular design

Modulating helical nanostructures in liquid crystal phase by molecular design
2021-01-19
Overview: A team of researchers led by Assistant Professor Yuki Arakawa (Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan) has successfully developed sulfur-containing liquid crystal (LC) dimer molecules1) with oppositely directed ester bonds, which exhibit a helical liquid crystal phase, viz. twist-bend nematic (NTB) phase, 2) over a wide temperature range, including room temperature. Collaboration with a team at the Advanced Light Source research facility (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA) revealed that the ester bond direction in the molecular structures largely impacts the pitch lengths of helical nanostructures in the NTB phase. It is expected that this molecular design ...

Robot learns fast but safe navigation strategy

Robot learns fast but safe navigation strategy
2021-01-19
Overview: A research group from the Active Intelligent System Laboratory (AISL) at Toyohashi University of Technology (TUT) has proposed a new framework for training mobile robots to quickly navigate while maintaining low collision rates. The framework combines deep reinforcement learning (DRL) and curriculum learning in the training process for robots to learn a fast but safe navigation policy. Details: One of the basic requirements of autonomous mobile robots is their navigation capability. The robot must be able to navigate from its current position to the specified target position ...

50 million-year-old fossil assassin bug has unusually well-preserved genitalia

50 million-year-old fossil assassin bug has unusually well-preserved genitalia
2021-01-19
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The fossilized insect is tiny and its genital capsule, called a pygophore, is roughly the length of a grain of rice. It is remarkable, scientists say, because the bug's physical characteristics - from the bold banding pattern on its legs to the internal features of its genitalia - are clearly visible and well-preserved. Recovered from the Green River Formation in present-day Colorado, the fossil represents a new genus and species of predatory insects known as assassin bugs. The find is reported in the journal Papers in Palaeontology. Discovered in 2006 by breaking open ...

Eye tests predict Parkinson's-linked cognitive decline 18 months ahead

2021-01-19
Simple vision tests can predict which people with Parkinson's disease will develop cognitive impairment and possible dementia 18 months later, according to a new study by UCL researchers. The study, published in Movement Disorders, adds to evidence that vision changes precede the cognitive decline that occurs in many, but not all, people with Parkinson's. In another new study published today in Communications Biology, the same research team found that structural and functional connections of brain regions become decoupled throughout the entire brain in people with Parkinson's disease, particularly among people with vision problems. The ...

How short circuits in lithium metal batteries can be prevented

How short circuits in lithium metal batteries can be prevented
2021-01-19
There are high hopes for the next generation of high energy-density lithium metal batteries, but before they can be used in our vehicles, there are crucial problems to solve. An international research team led by Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, has now developed concrete guidelines for how the batteries should be charged and operated, maximising efficiency while minimising the risk of short circuits. Lithium metal batteries are one of several promising concepts that could eventually replace the lithium-ion batteries which are currently widely used - particularly in various types of electric vehicles. The big advantage of this new battery type is that the energy density can be significantly ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Texas Tech to develop semiconductor power devices through $6 million grant

Novel genomic screening tool enables precision reverse-engineering of genetic programming in cells

Hot Schrödinger cat states created

How cells repair their power plants

Oxygen is running low in inland waters—and humans are to blame

ACP’s Best Practice Advice addresses use of cannabis, cannabinoids for chronic noncancer pain

Beyond photorespiration: A systematic approach to unlocking enhanced plant productivity

How a small number of mutations can fuel outbreaks of western equine encephalitis virus

Exposure to wildfire smoke linked with worsening mental health conditions

Research uncovers hidden spread of one of the most common hospital-associated infections

Many older adults send their doctors portal messages, but who pays?

Fine particulate matter from 2020 California wildfires and mental health–related emergency department visits

Gender inequity in institutional leadership roles in US academic medical centers

Pancreatic cells ‘remember’ epigenetic precancerous marks without genetic sequence mutations

Rare combination of ovarian tumors found in one patient

AI-driven clinical recommendations may aid physician decision making to improve quality of care

Artificial intelligence has potential to aid physician decisions during virtual urgent care

ACP and Annals of Internal Medicine present breaking scientific news at ACP’s Internal Medicine Meeting 2025

New study reveals polymers with flawed fillers boost heat transfer in plastics

Signs identified that precede sudden arrhythmic death syndrome in young people

Discovery of bacteria's defence against viruses becomes a piece of the puzzle against resistance

Pre-eclampsia is associated with earlier onset and higher incidence of cardiovascular risk factors

Warwick astronomers discover doomed pair of spiralling stars on our cosmic doorstep

Soil conditions significantly increase rainfall in world’s megastorm hotspots

NK cells complexed with bispecific antibody yield high response rates in patients with lymphoma

Planetary health diet and mediterranean diet associated with similar survival and sustainability benefits

Singapore launches national standard to validate antimicrobial disinfectant products

Molecular stool test could improve detection of tuberculosis in adults with HIV

Suspected fibrocartilaginous embolus in Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus)

Enhancing heat transfer using the turbulent flow of viscoelastic fluids

[Press-News.org] College classrooms are still chilly for women, as men speak more
Gendered participation has a long way to go to reach equity