Examining Gender Differences in Teachers’ Use of Facebook: Looking to Eliminate Gender Gaps in Teacher Professional Development
摘要
Social media can provide equitable and accessible spaces for professional learning across all genders; however, this area has garnered limited attention. This study explored gender differences among 440 mathematics teachers on Facebook, focusing on socio-demographic variables and the potential of Facebook Groups (FGs) as a professional development tool. The findings revealed no gender disparities in the duration of Facebook usage. However, females predominantly accessed Facebook at home, whereas males more frequently accessed it at work. Females tended to rely more on mobile phones and tablets, while males preferred laptops and desktops. Although there was no significant gender difference in the number of friends on Facebook, most females were members of ten or fewer FGs. Importantly, FGs offered equal and accessible professional development for both genders, with no gender differences observed in preferred educational FGs, reasons for selection, or negative aspects of engagement. These findings underscore the potential of FGs as a means of equitable professional learning for all genders.