Adoption of Educational Technology: How Does Gender Matter?

Gender differences have attracted attention in today’s educational research and practice. Very few studies, however, explore the gender differences in the use of technology in higher education. The authors conducted a study on technology adoption at a large Canadian university. One of its purposes was to inform our understanding of how gender matters in the process of technology adoption in post-secondary teaching. A survey was administered to all full-time faculty and sessional instructors. Results suggest that females were more likely to use student-centered pedagogical approaches in teaching than males. Females had lower confidence and less experience in the use of computers in teaching. They tended to learn how to use technology from others, whereas males were more likely to learn from their own experience. Based on these findings, the paper recommends that professional development for females should involve more showcases and interactions while training for males would be more appropriate when it provides many hands-on activities.