Role of gender match between students and teachers and students’ ethnicity in teacher–student relationships

Abstract

In the educational context, male and ethnic minority students are at a higher risk of school failure than female and ethnic majority students. The mainly female and ethnic majority teaching workforce has been discussed as reasons for the lower success of these different student groups. The classroom climate and how teachers create the learning environment through their interactional behavior can also have an impact on students’ motivation and achievement. In this study, we investigated the combined effects of students’ ethnicity and a gender match between students and teachers on students’ perceptions of teacher interpersonal behavior assessed with the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI). For a sample of 3125 vocational students, we found relatively positive teacher–student relationships. Hierarchical linear modeling showed that ethnic minority students reported worse teacher–student relationships with male teachers and that female teachers were perceived as having more positive teacher–student relationships. Older students perceived more dominance and less oppositional behavior regardless of their ethnicity and gender. No evidence for positive effects of a gender match was found.