Student Participation and Social Difference 193Comparing these results with those reported in Table 8.4, we see that all of the most
Socratic classes (#5, #4, #1) have gender imbalances in favor of men. We also see
that both of the classes in which there were gender imbalances in favor of women
were structured around short exchanges.^89
If we now ask about the interaction of different forms of dialogue with gen-
der, we find intriguingly mixed results. Table 8.6 summarizes the different gendered
distributions of focused and shorter dialogue in the eight classrooms of the study.
We can see that women actually participate more in extended dialogues than they
do in shorter exchanges in four of the classrooms—and these are the four most
elite male-taught classes. In Class #2 (elite school, male teacher) women take 6%
more turns than do men in extended dialogues, but 14% fewer turns in shorter
exchanges. The same reversal occurs in Class #7, taught by a male teacher in a re-
gional law school. In Class #5, in a prestige law school and taught by a man, we
find a dramatic shift: men take 14% more turns in extended dialogue but 75% more
in shorter exchanges. A similar, though less dramatic shift occurs in Class #4, taught
table 8.6
Comparison of Extended and Shorter Dialogue Turns, by Gender
Shift in Women’s
Participation from
Ratio of Total Focused Ratio of Total Extended to
Class Dialogue Turns Other Dialogue Turns Shorter Dialogue
Elite/Prestige
2 0.94 1.14 –.20
8 1.71 1.40 +.31
5 1.14 1.75 –.61
Regional
4 1.14 1.25 –.11
7 0.68 1.21 –.53
Local
1 1.15 1.04 +.11
6 1.00 0.94 +.06
3 0.98 0.88 +.10
Average change in female-taught classes +.15
Average change in male-taught classes –.26
Ratios are calculated by dividing the men’s participation rate by the women’s participa-
tion rate. 1.0 is the figure that would represent equal participation by women and men.
Figures over 1.0 represent an imbalance toward male participation; figures under 1.0
represent an imbalance toward female participation.
Participation rates are basically the average number of turns per student. Women’s
participation rate, for example, is the number of turns taken by women divided by the
number of women enrolled in the course. When average participation rates are equal—that
is, when the average participation rate for one group divided by the other equals 1.0—each
group is participating in proportion to its representation in class enrollment.