Gender and fifth-grade general music: A qualitative study of teacher -student interaction.

Differential treatment of female and male students by teachers is well documented. Research indicates that male students receive more teacher-student interactions that are both teacher-initiated and student-initiated. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of how and to what degree differential teacher-student gender interaction (TSGI) occurs in the fifth-grade general music classroom, including how participants perceive these interactions. Data were collected using the methods of participant observation and interview. Five fifth-grade music classes at two elementary schools were observed for three months. Teachers were interviewed three times and four students from each class were interviewed twice. In School X, analysis revealed that male students were more disruptive and called out more often, which led to their involvement in a disproportionate number of behavioral and call-out interactions. Minor discrepancies favoring male students occurred in teacher-initiated TSGI including teacher help, interruptions by teacher and errands assigned students. Teacher interpretation of these interactions, however, indicated they were not gender-based. Fewer gender discrepancies in TSGI were found in School Y. On three occasions, the teacher teased boys regarding masculinity and also communicated masculine gender stereotypes. Teacher interpretation of these interactions indicated they derived from the gendered football theme of the class' musical production rather than from a personal gender stereotype. In both schools, student and teacher perspectives of TSGI triangulated consistently with observations. Although race was not the focus of this study, racial differences in student behavior by gender were found in School X. African American boys called out more often, were more disruptive than other students and subsequently were involved in more TSGI. Teacher and student perceptions supported this finding and that the teacher responded to student behavior without regard to race. Despite the large quantity of discrepant TSGI found in this study, an examination of the quality of these interactions revealed that teachers were responding to gender differences in student behavior. Further, student gender differences in behavior and singing attracted less teacher attention when organization of the classroom emphasized group instruction and when teachers minimized those gender differences.PhDEducationEducational sociologyMusic educationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/132838/2/9990940.pd