Teacher-student classroom interactions: The influence of gender, academic dominance, and teacher communication style

Two Israeli grade 7 classes, with different teachers, were monitored and the lessons coded according to categories that were based on the conceptual framework of speech acts theory combined with role theory. The two classes differed in their academic composition: one class was dominated by females and the other was balanced by gender. Different classroom interactions were observed. The two teachers manifested different communication styles: one exercised more control, while the other was more influenced by the dominant students. The teachers did not have any bias against females; they were "gender blind." Thus, the findings indicated that gender, academic composition, and teacher communication style are important factors in teacher-student interactions.