Gender Differences in Perceptions of Pedagogical Competence and Student Achievement: A Study of Iranian Junior High School EFL Teachers and Their Students

This study explored the impact of gender on the perceived pedagogical competences of Iranian EFL teachers and the academic achievements of junior high school students. Specifically, it examined differences between male and female English teachers' pedagogical skills and their students’ performance. A total of ۳۰ English teachers (۱۵ male and ۱۵ female) participated in the study. They completed a self-report questionnaire consisting of ۵۳ items to assess their perceptions of perceived pedagogical competence. In addition, ۷۴۴ ninth-grade students (۳۷۹ male and ۳۶۵ female) from various high schools in Kazerun, Fars, Iran, were selected. Their academic achievements were evaluated using standardized test scores from their final English exams, retrieved from school records. The findings, analyzed using an Independent Sample T-Test, indicated a significant difference in pedagogical competence between male and female teachers, with male teachers scoring higher. However, the results of the Mann-Whitney U test revealed no significant difference in the academic achievement test scores between male and female students. The study concludes by discussing the implications of these findings. For EFL learners, these implications indicate that teacher gender may not directly influence academic achievement, emphasizing the need for students to focus on developing effective learning strategies, independent of teacher characteristics.

Keywords:

male and female junior high school students , students' academic achievement , male and female EFL teachers’ pedagogical competences