Gender divides in teachers' readiness for online teaching and learning in higher education: Do women and men consider themselves equally prepared?

Ronny Scherer; Fazilat Siddiq; Sarah K. Howard; Jo Tondeur

doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2023.104774

Gender divides in teachers' readiness for online teaching and learning in higher education: Do women and men consider themselves equally prepared?

Ronny Scherer, Fazilat Siddiq, Sarah K. Howard, Jo Tondeur

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Abstract

During the last years, the “Great Online Transition” has brought to light large variation in teachers' readiness for online teaching and learning (OTL). Drawing from an international sample of 731 higher-education teachers, we examined gender differences in OTL readiness as a source of this variation. Currently, in the field of OTL, better evidence is needed to understand the associated dimensions and effects of gender on teachers’ experiences and perceptions of readiness, to provide better support and professional learning opportunities in transitioning to an online and blended practice. To provide such evidence, we first evaluated the measurement bias in the readiness measures and found support for strong gender invariance. Second, we quantified the gender differences in readiness levels: Women reported higher readiness for cognitive activation practices (d = +0.15); men reported higher self-efficacy in technological content knowledge (d = −0.20). These gender differences were small, varied across readiness constructs, and were due to a gender gap in OTL experience. Third, construct associations involving perceived institutional support were weaker for women. To improve the quality, robustness, and validity of the respective evidence, we argue that studying gender divides in OTL readiness needs to consider measurement bias, OTL experience, and construct associations.

Original language	English
Article number	104774
Number of pages	16
Journal	Computers and Education
Volume	199
Issue number	2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2023.104774
Publication status	Published - Jul 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The readiness indicators (i.e., item responses), were not substantially skewed (see Appendix Table A1). To create a representation of the readiness constructs with these indicators, we estimated a CFA model of readiness with seven correlated factors, each of which represented one readiness construct (i.e., three TPACK self-efficacy constructs, three perceived online teaching presence constructs, and one perceived institutional support construct). This model showed an acceptable fit to the data (YB-χ2 [393] = 922.5, p < .001, CFIr = 0.971, RMSEAr = 0.042, SRMR = 0.031), yet contained a high correlation between TPK and TPCK self-efficacy (ρ = 0.99). Hence, we re-specified the model by collapsing TPK and TPCK self-efficacy into one factor, “TPK-TPCK”. The resultant model showed an acceptable fit to the data (YB-χ2 [399] = 931.8, p < .001, CFIr = 0.971, RMSEAr = 0.042, SRMR = 0.032) and did not deteriorate the fit of the initial model (YB-Δχ2 [6] = 9.1, p = .17). We therefore accepted the more parsimonious CFA model with six instead of seven correlated factors as the readiness measurement model.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors

Copyright:
Copyright 2023 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

Keywords

Cross-cultural projects
Data science applications in education
Distance education and online learning
Evaluation methodologies
Gender divides

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@article{8a342b65a55b44bcb0768746e84e5032,

title = "Gender divides in teachers' readiness for online teaching and learning in higher education: Do women and men consider themselves equally prepared?",

abstract = "During the last years, the “Great Online Transition” has brought to light large variation in teachers' readiness for online teaching and learning (OTL). Drawing from an international sample of 731 higher-education teachers, we examined gender differences in OTL readiness as a source of this variation. Currently, in the field of OTL, better evidence is needed to understand the associated dimensions and effects of gender on teachers{\textquoteright} experiences and perceptions of readiness, to provide better support and professional learning opportunities in transitioning to an online and blended practice. To provide such evidence, we first evaluated the measurement bias in the readiness measures and found support for strong gender invariance. Second, we quantified the gender differences in readiness levels: Women reported higher readiness for cognitive activation practices (d = +0.15); men reported higher self-efficacy in technological content knowledge (d = −0.20). These gender differences were small, varied across readiness constructs, and were due to a gender gap in OTL experience. Third, construct associations involving perceived institutional support were weaker for women. To improve the quality, robustness, and validity of the respective evidence, we argue that studying gender divides in OTL readiness needs to consider measurement bias, OTL experience, and construct associations.",

keywords = "Cross-cultural projects, Data science applications in education, Distance education and online learning, Evaluation methodologies, Gender divides",

author = "Ronny Scherer and Fazilat Siddiq and Howard, {Sarah K.} and Jo Tondeur",

note = "Funding Information: The readiness indicators (i.e., item responses), were not substantially skewed (see Appendix Table A1). To create a representation of the readiness constructs with these indicators, we estimated a CFA model of readiness with seven correlated factors, each of which represented one readiness construct (i.e., three TPACK self-efficacy constructs, three perceived online teaching presence constructs, and one perceived institutional support construct). This model showed an acceptable fit to the data (YB-χ2 [393] = 922.5, p < .001, CFIr = 0.971, RMSEAr = 0.042, SRMR = 0.031), yet contained a high correlation between TPK and TPCK self-efficacy (ρ = 0.99). Hence, we re-specified the model by collapsing TPK and TPCK self-efficacy into one factor, “TPK-TPCK”. The resultant model showed an acceptable fit to the data (YB-χ2 [399] = 931.8, p < .001, CFIr = 0.971, RMSEAr = 0.042, SRMR = 0.032) and did not deteriorate the fit of the initial model (YB-Δχ2 [6] = 9.1, p = .17). We therefore accepted the more parsimonious CFA model with six instead of seven correlated factors as the readiness measurement model. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 The Authors Copyright: Copyright 2023 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.",

year = "2023",

month = jul,

doi = "10.1016/j.compedu.2023.104774",

language = "English",

volume = "199",

journal = "Computers and Education",

issn = "0360-1315",

publisher = "Elsevier Limited",

number = "2023",

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T1 - Gender divides in teachers' readiness for online teaching and learning in higher education

T2 - Do women and men consider themselves equally prepared?

AU - Scherer, Ronny

AU - Siddiq, Fazilat

AU - Howard, Sarah K.

AU - Tondeur, Jo

N1 - Funding Information: The readiness indicators (i.e., item responses), were not substantially skewed (see Appendix Table A1). To create a representation of the readiness constructs with these indicators, we estimated a CFA model of readiness with seven correlated factors, each of which represented one readiness construct (i.e., three TPACK self-efficacy constructs, three perceived online teaching presence constructs, and one perceived institutional support construct). This model showed an acceptable fit to the data (YB-χ2 [393] = 922.5, p < .001, CFIr = 0.971, RMSEAr = 0.042, SRMR = 0.031), yet contained a high correlation between TPK and TPCK self-efficacy (ρ = 0.99). Hence, we re-specified the model by collapsing TPK and TPCK self-efficacy into one factor, “TPK-TPCK”. The resultant model showed an acceptable fit to the data (YB-χ2 [399] = 931.8, p < .001, CFIr = 0.971, RMSEAr = 0.042, SRMR = 0.032) and did not deteriorate the fit of the initial model (YB-Δχ2 [6] = 9.1, p = .17). We therefore accepted the more parsimonious CFA model with six instead of seven correlated factors as the readiness measurement model. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors Copyright: Copyright 2023 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 2023/7

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N2 - During the last years, the “Great Online Transition” has brought to light large variation in teachers' readiness for online teaching and learning (OTL). Drawing from an international sample of 731 higher-education teachers, we examined gender differences in OTL readiness as a source of this variation. Currently, in the field of OTL, better evidence is needed to understand the associated dimensions and effects of gender on teachers’ experiences and perceptions of readiness, to provide better support and professional learning opportunities in transitioning to an online and blended practice. To provide such evidence, we first evaluated the measurement bias in the readiness measures and found support for strong gender invariance. Second, we quantified the gender differences in readiness levels: Women reported higher readiness for cognitive activation practices (d = +0.15); men reported higher self-efficacy in technological content knowledge (d = −0.20). These gender differences were small, varied across readiness constructs, and were due to a gender gap in OTL experience. Third, construct associations involving perceived institutional support were weaker for women. To improve the quality, robustness, and validity of the respective evidence, we argue that studying gender divides in OTL readiness needs to consider measurement bias, OTL experience, and construct associations.

AB - During the last years, the “Great Online Transition” has brought to light large variation in teachers' readiness for online teaching and learning (OTL). Drawing from an international sample of 731 higher-education teachers, we examined gender differences in OTL readiness as a source of this variation. Currently, in the field of OTL, better evidence is needed to understand the associated dimensions and effects of gender on teachers’ experiences and perceptions of readiness, to provide better support and professional learning opportunities in transitioning to an online and blended practice. To provide such evidence, we first evaluated the measurement bias in the readiness measures and found support for strong gender invariance. Second, we quantified the gender differences in readiness levels: Women reported higher readiness for cognitive activation practices (d = +0.15); men reported higher self-efficacy in technological content knowledge (d = −0.20). These gender differences were small, varied across readiness constructs, and were due to a gender gap in OTL experience. Third, construct associations involving perceived institutional support were weaker for women. To improve the quality, robustness, and validity of the respective evidence, we argue that studying gender divides in OTL readiness needs to consider measurement bias, OTL experience, and construct associations.

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JO - Computers and Education

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IS - 2023

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ER -

Gender divides in teachers' readiness for online teaching and learning in higher education: Do women and men consider themselves equally prepared?

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