Male Mathematics Teachers and Their Influence on the Expected
Performance of Male Students in Mathematics in Jamaica.
Katherine Williamson-Teape
Institute for Educational Administration & Leadership – Jamaica
Abstract
This study was designed to investigate the influence that male teachers have on the academic performance of male students in mathematics. A correlation research methodology was used along with a mixed methods design with a leaning towards the quantitative paradigm. A mix of 24 male teachers and 28 male students from 9 secondary high schools in the parish of St. Catherine, Jamaica, were asked to complete questionnaires from which four research questions were answered. There were four main conclusions: i male mathematics teachers possessed such leadership qualities as dependability, trustworthiness, friendliness and empathy; (ii) majority of students showed a
preference towards male teachers teaching them Mathematics; (iii) questioning, guided discovery and collaborative learning were effective teaching strategies mostly used by the male mathematics teachers; and (iv) there was an association between preference for a particular gender of teacher and the expected performance of male students in the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC),Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination in Mathematics.
Keywords: Male teachers; Mathematics; Male students; Jamaica; Gender; Academic performance.
CC-BY-NC-ND
The Bridge: Journal of Educational Research-Informed Practice 