The Insiders' Perspectives: A Focus Group Study on Gender Issues in a Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Environment

There is little doubt that the advent of collaborative technologies in recent years has brought some significant changes in the way students learn, communicate, and interact with one another. In recent years, this emergence has sparked increased interest for research into the role and impact of instructional technologies on group learning. Despite the widespread use of different instructional technologies to support teaching and learning in today’s classroom, our understanding of these technologies and their underlying impacts on learners and instructors remains fragmented, specifically with regard to gender learning issues. One important area that has been neglected in the research is the impact of classroom technology on gender classroom equity and learning processes. Indeed, only a few studies have examined the gender learning issues inside the group learning process as it naturally occurs in an actual classroom. How do female students, as well as their instructors, perceive gender issues in their classroom? What are the experiences of female students in an online learning environment? Do technologies contribute to or hinder the achievement of gender classroom equity and positive learning experiences? These are some of the interesting but complex questions that this study attempted to explore.