1. Gender and good language learners
Alex Malfitano

2. Why Gender? Contributes to factors influencing language and learning
Literary practices, tests, self-esteem, styles and strategies all shown to be gendered
Teachers all carry socialized views of gender that impact teaching and judgements
Influences how we help parents cope and support children

3. Biological Gender
Females possess more nerve cells in left half of the brain (language center)
Females have richer connections between both sides of the brain
Females use more of their brain when listening and speaking
Female language centers mature earlier than male

4. Social Constructs of Gender
Culturally and environmentally formed roles
Parents talk more often and with more complexity to baby girls
Parents encourage more and longer responses from daughters
Qualities women and men should possess in society and classroom influenced by culture
Learning styles in tune with socialized learning style

5. Giving Women the Upper Hand
Encourage conversational partners
Remember more details
Higher consciousness regarding politeness
Value social connection and communicative competence
More likely to form groups and connections
Interactive learning, authentic language use, communicating meaning
Socialized to believe language use will benefit personal and professional life

6. Academic Culture Separate study cultures
Female: study-oriented, group focused, emotional support, internal motivation… flexible learning strategies, communicative strategies
Male: independent, career-oriented, next-test focus… memorization, repetition, translation
Female teachers catering to female students

7. Implications for Teaching
Sensitivity to learning preferences/cultures
Males need:
Kinetic, hands-on experiences
Clear and goal-oriented assignments
Consistent reminders of advantages for language study
Encouragement and fostered study groups
Students need:
Goals and activities to discover and enhance language learning strategies best for them

8. Important to Note
Much of this data is self-reported and filtered through gendered sense of self-perception
Gendered data exists, but does not have great magnitude in variation
Variation may be attributed to personality types before gender
Role of gender in language still not well understood
Both females and males can be good language learners

9. Questions and Discussion
References: Nyikos, M. (2008). Gender in good language learners. In C. Griffiths (Ed.), Lessons from Good Language Learners (pp.73-82). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press