The Influence of Feminist Pedagogy on Student Participation and Student Perception of Learning Environment in Distance Education: A Comparative Study of Web-Based Graduate Distance Education Courses

The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between the level of feminist pedagogy employed in a course and student participation or student perception in that course. The study attempted to measure the level of feminist pedagogy employed in eight randomly selected, web-based distance education courses using a researcher-created instrument: The Feminist Pedagogy Scoring Rubric. Additionally, student perception of learning environment in each course was analyzed through the use of the Distance and Open Learning Environment Scale (DOLES). The rate of student participation in each course was determined by analyzing archived online communications. Four main tenets of feminist pedagogy were measured by The Feminist Pedagogy Scoring Rubric: Heterogeneity, Collaborative Learning Environment, Connected Learning, and Decentralized Authority. The DOLES instrument included 40 survey items divided into five main core scales: Student Cohesiveness, Teacher Support, Personal Involvement and Flexibility, Task Orientation and Material Environment, and Home Environment. The findings of this study indicate that there is a strong, positive relationship between the level of feminist pedagogy employed in a course and the level of student participation in that course. No relationship was found between the level of feminist pedagogy employed in a course and students’ perceptions of the learning environment in that course