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Abstract

This meta-analytic review was performed to determine the relationship between gender and two constructs measuring success in distance learning—academic performance and self-efficacy—with a particular interest in identifying whether females or males have an advantage in distance learning environments. Data from 15 studies resulted in 18 effect sizes for aggregation and comparison, with 9 of those effect sizes attributed to academic performance and 9 attributed to measures of self-efficacy. The aggregate effect sizes for both academic performance and self-efficacy were found to be significant (d = .36, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = .25–.46, p < .001; d = .22, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = .04–.41, p < .05), and were small or small-to-medium, respectively. The effect sizes for academic performance were not significantly heterogeneous, but the effect sizes for self-efficacy were. Exploratory moderator analyses indicated that the combination mode of learning with both online contact and face-to-face interaction moderated the effect of gender on self-efficacy, and also indicated a significant relationship between self-efficacy and participants in Asia versus Europe and the United States. These significant relationships were only apparent in a fixed-effects model. The study discusses the implications of the results, as well as the limitations.

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The Role of Gender in Distance Learning: A Meta-Analytic Review of Gender Differences in Academic Performance and Self-Efficacy in Distance Learning

Abstract

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