Student’s gender, grades and tutorial feedback

In two experimental studies (N = 223/100) we examined the effects of teachers’ gender stereotype endorsement, student’s alleged gender, and subject domain (math/German) on the grades and written feedback on (constant) test performance. In Study 1 we manipulated student’s gender and domain between participants. There was no general gender bias on grades on math, nor German tests, but stereotype endorsement played a role: In German, it interacted with gender such that more stereotype-endorsing teachers graded girls harsher. In math, the opposite pattern (i.e., higher endorsement predicting harsher grading for boys) was only a non-significant trend. In addition, girls received more feedback in math and boys more in German.
In Study 2 we manipulated student’s gender within and domain between participants. First analyses show no gender effect on grades in German, but better grades for girls than boys in math; stereotype endorsement was not a moderator, but teachers’ motivation to be non-prejudiced: the higher, the larger the difference. Girls also received more feedback than boys in both domains; however this might be an artefact.
The findings are discussed with regard to possible moderators for the occurrence of bias, future research directions, and consequences for the training of teachers.

Ko-Autorin: Narciss, Susanne