ERIC Number: EJ1113065
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1066-8926
EISSN: N/A
Gender Microaggressions and Learning Environments: The Role of Physical Space in Teaching Pedagogy and Communication
Lester, Jaime; Yamanaka, Aoi; Struthers, Brice
Community College Journal of Research and Practice, v40 n11 p909-926 2016
Career and technical education (CTE) programs account for a large proportion of student enrollments in community colleges each year. While women tend to dominate CTE enrollments overall, they remain concentrated in historically feminized fields contrary to nontraditional occupations in which less than 25% of workers are females. Drawing on the emerging research on microaggressions and classroom learning environments, this classroom observation research project of more than 80 hours of observations with supplemental student interviews sought to further an understanding of why women are underrepresented in specific CTE fields. The findings of this study indicated two distinct aspects of the classroom environment that helped stew a culture of gender microaggressions: the instructor pedagogy and communication style, and the impact of physical space. Physical structure, instructor pedagogy, and communication create an environment that often emphasizes and perpetuates social norms connecting men and masculinity to CTE and science, technology, engineering, and math education (STEM), which historically have been male-dominated environments. Results from this study extend the research on microaggressions and learning environments and fill a significant gap on gender and CTE.
Descriptors: Vocational Education, Females, Two Year College Students, Classroom Environment, Observation, Interviews, Gender Bias, Aggression, Disproportionate Representation, Physical Environment, Individual Characteristics, Interpersonal Communication, College Instruction, STEM Education, Ethnography, Case Studies, Qualitative Research
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Two Year Colleges; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A