An initial investigation of the effects of gender on student questions in the classroom: Developing a descriptive base

Although student question asking is essential to the learning process, little is known about this communicative phenomenon. More important, the research that is available suggests that students ask far fewer questions than might be expected by educators. This exploratory investigation examined 15 college communication classrooms and found that students asked only an average of 3.3 questions per hour, that male teachers received more questions than female teachers, that female students asked fewer questions than male students in courses taught by males, and that self‐reported masculinity, which includes elements of independence, assertiveness, and a task‐orientation, was associated with a greater likelihood of question asking.