Women Learn Better Online Than Men

When it comes to elearning, women are far better than men at generating a supportive learning experience, according to research conducted at Edge Hill University.

The research indicates that women express themselves more openly than men and encourage others to feel at ease. They succeeded in forming an open sense of trust and fellowship between remote learners, thus motivating each other in their learning. Men in this study, by contrast, found it harder to engage with peers and 'did their own thing'.

Dr Simone Kruger, Academic Leader in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Research Co-ordinator for the University's SOLSTICE centre for excellence in teaching and learning, is exploring student experiences of elearning using 'virtual ethnography? - based on observing and participating with research participants as they engage with online technology for their studies.

She said: "Participants in online courses may only succeed if they know each other well where the learning environment becomes a space in which mutual trust and support can be developed. During my research I observed that female participants were particularly successful in becoming more comfortable with one another in sharing ideas and experiences."

"This success may have resulted from their ability to adapt new ways of learning, while at the same time to negotiate and renegotiate their identity. Thereby the female participants showed greater flexibility and intuition necessary to form trusting and supporting online relationships. By contrast, some male participants found it hard to engage with peers and suggested 'I'd rather do my own thing?"

Dr Kruger also found that elearning has a dramatic heightening effect on students' deep-level reflection both on the subject matter and on their own role and capabilities as 'learners' - compared with students who solely study through traditional classroom and textbook means.