Liu Liyuan, Saeed Muhammad Amir, Abdelrasheed Nasser Said Gomaa, Shakibaei Goodarz, Khafaga Ayman Farid
School of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China.
Department of English Language and Literature, College of Arts and Applied Sciences, Dhofar University, Salalah, Oman.
Front Psychol. 2022 Oct 20;13:996736. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.996736. eCollection 2022.
The Omani socio-cultural context, the mono-gender educational system in schools, and the learning environment at the higher educational institutions significantly affect learners' self-efficacy and academic achievement in the mixed-gender EFL classroom. Different studies have revealed both positive and negative implications of mixed-gender classrooms, especially for those who came from a mono-gender learning environment. The adjustment phase for the tertiary learners from school to the university is not only crucial but also significant for the continuation of higher education. The effects of socio-cultural factors on self-efficacy and academic achievement have not been studied in depth, particularly in eastern countries. So, the current study aimed at investigating the role of gender, learning background, socio-cultural circumstances, and the effect of the learning environment on EFL learners' self-efficacy and their academic achievement within the scenario of the prevailing culture and traditions in the Dhofar Region. To conduct this study, mixed research methods (qualitative and quantitative) have been adopted to investigate the perceptions of both teachers and learners. The sample of the study consists of 117 EFL learners ranging between 18-22 years of age and 25 EFL teachers ranging between 35-60 years of age. We used separate surveys for students and the teachers and interviewed students and teachers on a random basis. The results demonstrate that both genders were comfortable in segregated classes. The results also reveal that female learners were active learners and better performers than male learners in the school learning environment. The students reported that social restrictions discouraged them from mixing with the opposite gender in classroom activities and oral discussions. Most teachers believe that, compared to male learners, female learners performed better and were more engaged and responsive to different learning situations. The study found that there were statistically significant differences between both genders in terms of the effects of socio-cultural environment, self-efficacy, and the learning environment. Female learners were better than male learners in mono-gender schools, and they have higher self-efficacy than male students at the university. In conclusion, EFL teachers should consider the socio-cultural context, learners' learning background, and other challenges of learners to bring out positive outcomes in a mixed-gender classroom.
阿曼的社会文化背景、学校的单性别教育体系以及高等教育机构的学习环境，在男女混合的英语外语课堂中显著影响着学习者的自我效能感和学业成绩。不同的研究揭示了男女混合课堂的积极和消极影响，尤其是对于那些来自单性别学习环境的人。高等教育学习者从学校到大学的适应阶段不仅至关重要，而且对高等教育的延续也意义重大。社会文化因素对自我效能感和学业成绩的影响尚未得到深入研究，尤其是在东方国家。因此，本研究旨在探讨性别、学习背景、社会文化环境的作用，以及在佐法尔地区主流文化和传统背景下，学习环境对英语外语学习者自我效能感及其学业成绩的影响。为开展本研究，采用了混合研究方法（定性和定量）来调查教师和学习者的看法。研究样本包括117名年龄在18至22岁之间的英语外语学习者和25名年龄在35至60岁之间的英语外语教师。我们分别对学生和教师进行了调查，并随机采访了学生和教师。结果表明，男女在分开授课的班级中都感到舒适。结果还显示，在学校学习环境中，女学习者是积极的学习者，并且比男学习者表现更好。学生们报告说，社会限制使他们在课堂活动和口头讨论中不愿与异性交往。大多数教师认为，与男学习者相比，女学习者表现更好，对不同的学习情境更投入且反应更积极。研究发现，在社会文化环境、自我效能感和学习环境的影响方面，男女之间存在统计学上的显著差异。女学习者在单性别学校中比男学习者表现更好，在大学中她们的自我效能感也高于男学生。总之，英语外语教师应考虑社会文化背景、学习者的学习背景以及学习者面临的其他挑战，以便在男女混合课堂中取得积极成果。
