The Difference a Female Teacher Makes: Analysis of Girls’ School Achievement in Nepal

Abstract

Educational outcomes of female students are limited by persistent gender inequalities and the lack of non-patriarchal support structures in schools in Nepal. Role model theory suggests that female teachers provide a range of benefits for female students. We explored if the same-sex teacher as students has nexus with students’ performance in standardized exit examinations among 549 eighth-grade Nepali students to understand the contributions of female teachers on the academic performance of female students. The Mann-Whitney U-test compared eighth-grade male and female students’ test scores based on teachers’ sexual backgrounds. Overall, results showed that students taught by female teachers achieved significantly higher scores in science and the Nepali language than those taught by male teachers, indicating a clear advantage of female teachers. Findings imply that efforts to increase female teachers and invest in their professional development are essential to boost the academic success of girls and to achieve a more equitable education system in Nepal.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Disclosure statement

For the original data collection, the first author received a $500 research grant from the College of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M University.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the College of Education and Human Development, Texas A&M University.