gender differences

This study tried to compare the possible differences between female and male EFL students with respect to the use of lexical hedges in their academic spoken language. To fulfil this objective, 40 Iranian upper-intermediate EFL learners majoring in TEFL were chosen from Islamic Azad University of Abadan, Iran. The selected participants were assigned into two equal groups namely male group (n=20) and female group (n=20). Then, five discussion sessions in a single gendered context were separately recorded for male and female participants. Frequency counts and chi-square were used to analyze the obtained data. By utilizing the framework of hedges, it is deduced that that there are differences among female and male respondents’ propensity in selecting word of lexical hedges. Female responders tend to utilize more lexical hedges than male responders. In such manner, most frequently lexical hedges of fillers such as; hmm, uhh, you know, yeah were used most frequently by female respondents in their utterances; while male respondents most repeatedly utilized lexical hedges of fillers like; I think, uhh, yeah in their utterances. Female respondents had broad range variegation in picking words of lexical hedges while male respondents were not sufficiently productive in selecting the words of lexical hedges. It was demonstrated by the number of lexical hedges applied in giving viewpoints in debate and discussion context.

This study was an attempt to investigate the relationship between spatial memory and Symptoms of Neuroticism in men and women visitors of a flower garden. The participants were chosen by an available sampling method among people who visited flower garden, located in Isfahan, Iran in October 2016. Subjects (woman=36, man=24) were asked to specify approximate locations of eight sites in the flower Garden on the incomplete map of flower garden after visiting the garden. Then, the subjects filled a demographic questionnaire and a short form of Eysenck introversion-extraversion questionnaire. The results showed that the means of spatial memory in men are significantly more than those of women (F= 11.46, p<0.05) and also, neuroticism in men is significantly less than that in women (F=7.22, P<0.05). Furthermore, positive relationship between age and spatial memory (r= 0.41, p<0.01) and negative relationship between neuroticism and spatial memory have been discovered (r= -0.59, p<0.01). According to the results, it can be concluded that neuroticism avoids paying attention to the environment and it causes memory function slump.

The present paper sought to investigate gender differences in the speech pauses made by Iranian bilingual (L1: Turkish and L2: Persian) learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). To this end, the pauses made by males and females were compared. Via an Oxford Placement test, a convenient sample of 40 bilingual advanced EFL male and female learners were selected from several English language institutes in Tehran, Iran. Three reading passages (English, Persian, and Turkish) were used to measure students’ fluency in terms of their speech pauses in the texts they read. As learners started to read the passages, their speeches were recorded. The collected data were analyzed by means of Praat Software. The data were analyzed in terms of the frequency and duration of the recorded pauses. The results indicated that that there were not any statistically significant differences between males and females regarding their pause frequency and duration across languages. Accordingly, the results represented more similarity than difference across the groups. The implications of the study results are discussed.

Purpose: It has been well established that personality traits and self-compassion are associated with psychological well-being, thus, the current research aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms in a collectivist culture. Methodology: The present study was a descriptive correlational one in terms of purpose and in terms of data collection. Quantitative research approach was used. Male and female University students of Ahvaz Farhangian University were considered as a studies population. For the purpose of the research, 150 students were selected as a sample using voluntary-available sampling method. for measurement Ryff Psychological Well-Being Scale, the NEO Personality Inventory, and Neff's Self-Compassion Scale. Findings: The results of correlation analysis showed that there were significant relationships between the personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) and self-compassion (self-kindness, isolation, mindfulness, and the total score of self-compassion) with psychological well-being. The regression analysis showed that neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness significantly predicted psychological well-being. Discussion: The current research was one of the first Iranian studies which addressed to the issues with a cultural point of view. Also, this research tried to direct attention to other social factors influencing gender differences (e.g., traditional socialization) as well which are not discussed in other similar studies. The cultural implications and future orientations have been discussed.

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the sociological components of human development in male and female employees of Maskan Bank. Methodology: The method of the present study was descriptive-correlational in terms of data collection method and in terms of purpose, it was applied and in terms of quantitative method, it was retrospective in terms of time horizon. The population of Maskan Bank was statistical population (12300) throughout the country and the Cochran formula was used to determine the sample size of the population, based on which the sample size was 372. Size-proportional stratified sampling with one-fifth sample ratio used. For the first time, the country was divided according to the provinces (31 provinces) and then according to the sample size 372 employees were selected as sample according to the total number of employees in the housing banks of each province. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and analysis of variance for gender differences between the two groups of men and women. Human Development Index Questionnaire was used to measure the research variables. Findings: The results of Pearson correlation test, Mann-Whitney test and analysis of variance showed that there were significant differences between men and women in terms of variables of education, quality of life and health and human development. The results also showed that men's mean scores on all variables of education, quality of life, health and human development were in favor of men. So men are in a better position than any woman in the housing bank for all indicators. Conclusion: The increasing presence of women in the executive and employment market and their remarkable success in university examinations has given the Iranian society a different picture and it seems that the process of social change continues to promote the role of women. Going forward.

This study investigates the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) of Iraqi English teachers in public and private high schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also examines the potential impact of gender and school type on participants’ TPACK perceptions. The results, derived from a TPACK survey (Baser et al., 2015), indicate significant differences between public and private school Iraqi English teachers in terms of overall TPACK scores and perceptions of individual TPACK constructs of technological knowledge, technological content knowledge, technological pedagogical knowledge, and technological pedagogical content knowledge. However, no significant differences were observed in the constructs of content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and pedagogical content knowledge. Additionally, the study found no significant disparities between male and female Iraqi EFL teachers in overall TPACK scores or perceptions of individual TPACK constructs. These findings offer insights into TPACK in Iraqi public and private high schools and shed light on how male and female Iraqi EFL teachers perceive their competencies when utilizing information and communication technology in English language instruction. Considering these findings, it is recommended to implement training and professional development programs to support teachers in effectively integrating technology into language education, especially within their classrooms.

This research explores gender differences in motivations and gratifications related to playing video games such as The Sims. We analyzed both men’ and women’ differences in game related motivations and gratifications to identify which factors make a game more gratifying for a specific gender of players. We conducted in-depth interviews with 18 male players and 20 female players of The Sims. We also analyzed online forums of The Sims. We found that main gratifying factors related to game-playing experience include appearance, character, storyline, control and complexity, fantasy and social interaction. The findings propose that game researchers with the uses and gratifications theoretical framework should consider the importance of including game features as gratifying factors in their questionnaires. Finally, we have provided implications for future research about gender differences in motivations and gratifications based on uses and gratifications theory.