The Relation Among Gender, Language, and Posting Type in Online Chemistry Course Discussion Forums

This study explored gendered language used in an online chemistry course's discussion forums, to understand how using gendered language might help or hinder learning outcomes, while considering the goal of various posting structures required in the course. Findings revealed that although gendered-language use did not differ between men and women, gendered forms of language were widely used throughout the forums. The use of gendered language appeared strategic, however, and reliably varied by the goal of the discussion post (i.e., posting a solution to a homework problem, asking a question, or answering a question). Ultimately, gender, language and posting type were found to be related to final grade.