The Effect of Teacher Gender on Oral Skill Proficiency

Abstract

The impact of gender in the EFL classroom is an area that continues to evolve as teachers and scholars strive to provide the most adequate learning conditions. The major aim of this dissertation was to examine the effect of teacher gender on students’ oral performance in the Algerian high school settings. The speaking skill is crucially important in EFL learning. However, due to many internal and external factors, students often face difficulties when trying to speak English in order to communicate or to perform an oral activity. This study was guided by the hypothesis that the teacher’s gender affects students’ oral proficiency level. To achieve our aim and test our hypothesis, two research instruments were used: classroom observation and two questionnaires. The first questionnaire was administered to secondary school teachers, while the second was targeted to secondary school students. The overwhelming conclusion, reached from the results of this study, is that the teacher’s gender does not have a significant impact on students’ oral proficiency. Thus, our hypothesis was not confirmed, and our research topic begs for further investigations.