Faculty at coeducational and women's colleges: How do their teaching practices compare?

Abstract

Based on data from 11,228 faculty members from 17 women’s colleges and 137 private coeducational institutions (from the same Carnegie categories as the women’s colleges), this study examines differences in teaching between the two types of institutions. Hierarchical linear modeling is used to estimate the women’s college effect on institutional average level of active classroom practice, student-faculty contact, and diverse classroom interactions as well as faculty emphasis on higher-order learning, intellectual skills, practical skills, and personal and social responsibility. Our results suggest that faculty at the women’s colleges do each aspect of teaching more than faculty at the coeducational institutions.