Gender Differences in Adult Student Perceptions of College Classroom Social Environments

Abstract

Adult male and female students’ perceptions of classroom social environments (climates) were compared on the Relationship dimensions of Affiliation and Involvement as measured by the Adult Classroom Environment Scale. Data were collected from 439 adult students enrolled at an urban community college. Theoretically grounded hypotheses were tested using the general linear model procedure. As predicted, women perceived more affiliation and a greater degree of involvement in the classroom than did men. Implications of the findings for future research and the teaching-learning transaction are discussed.