Male teachers 'get more effort from pupils and may boost the self esteem of students'

Male teachers are more likely to boost self esteem and are seen as fair, while at the same time are no more lenient on students, according to a study published by the Department for Education (DfE).

Researchers at the London School of Economics and Westminster University conducted an experiment in which 1,200 pupils in 29 schools were each given 2.

They could use the money to "buy" up to 10 questions at a cost of 20p each. For every question a pupil got right they earned 20p, if they got it wrong, they lost 20p. The questions were about defining words in booklets.

Some of the pupils were asked questions by teachers and the rest by an external examiner. The findings suggest both boys and girls can benefit from having a male teacher.

Pupils taught by a male teacher chose nearly half a question more than pupils taught by a female teacher.

Being assessed by a male teacher rather than an anonymous examiner increased the number of questions a child bought by 0.579. "This suggests that pupils have a much more positive perception of the rewards of effort when taught by a male teacher," the study says.

It concluded: "One of the most significant results featured in this experiment is the positive effect of male teachers on effort."

The study added: "We showed that male teachers foster self esteem, perceptions of fairness, but that they are no more lenient than other teachers."

Bright pupils also tend to try harder in the classroom than in an exam setting, while lower-achieving pupils do not make more or less effort in class.

It concluded: "The results suggest that higher ability pupils invest more when assessed by the teacher.

"Lower ability pupils do not significantly lower their investment, thus it is high ability pupils who react rather than the lower ability pupils who change their behaviour."

Researchers concluded that higher ability pupils either believed that the teacher would reward them more favourably than the external grader or liked signalling hard work or ability.