Factors Influencing Female Students' Classroom Participation: A Case Study of Mauritanian Tertiary Students
DOI: 10.21276/sjhss.2018.3.2.18 Abstract: Mauritanian classroom has been regarded as male public space. This has affected the academic achievement of female students, which in turn is likely to influence negatively their social, economic and political visibilities. As such, females' participation in the classroom activities becomes an inviting topic to be explored. The current study, thereby, aims to unveil the reasons of highly inhibited and highly exuberant female students in the classroom. In so doing, observations and interviews were carried out on 8 students studying at the Modern University of Nouakchott. The findings revealed that inhibition, depreciation of participation, devaluation of speech in mixed environment, peers' negative comments, and distant and/or female professors, were the main factors hindering female students' participation. Factors that have been rated as strong promoters of participation, however, were: positive perception of participation, "modern thinking," wellrounded knowledge about the topic, the type of topic studied, accessible professors, and learner centered approach.