How does Gender Affect Teacher-Student Interaction: A Case Study in China’s EFL Classes

Abstract

Under the background of modern education paying more and more attention to gender equity, teacher-student interaction, as an important micro component that will affect students in the classroom, whether it will be affected by gender factors is also a topic that researchers have long discussed. This study is committed to adding new cases to the study of gender and teacher-student interaction, focusing on teacher-student interaction in EFL classrooms in primary education from Mainland of China. This study is a case study, focusing on an experienced English teacher and her six classes. Through classroom observation of 12 English classes and interviews with teachers, this study found that female students will receive less attention from teachers, while male students will be more likely to receive negative comments from teachers because of gender factors. Overall, it is suggested that gender bias in EFL classrooms and believed that gender factors would affect the formation of the teacher-student interaction model.