Classroom interactions: The role of students’ gender, classroom subject, and social relations for student hand raising, teacher calls, and student talk time

• Girls have higher interest and grades in German language arts. • Boys show higher interest in math, but no grade advantage. • Subject interest does not directly explain oral participation gaps. • Better peer relationships influence boys’ participation in both subjects. • Better teacher-student relationship boosts girls’ participation in math. Numerous studies show gender differences between boys and girls in STEM subjects compared to language-related subjects. Boys are often more interested and have better grades in STEM subjects, while girls prefer language learning and get better grades in language-related subjects. Research has already identified a number of different reasons for this pattern, but so far little attention has been paid to oral participation as potential explanatory variable, although it is directly and indirectly associated with student achievement. By examining student hand raising, teacher calling behavior as well as student talk time, the present study focuses on three specific aspects of oral participation, taking into account relationships between students, their peers, and teachers as potential moderating factors. Data from N = 204 students (54 % female, M age = 12.29 ± 1.11 years) included self-reports and classroom observations of at least three German language arts and three math lesson. Results of multilevel analyses confirmed that girls had higher grades and interest in German, while boys showed greater interest in math. However, no significant gender differences were found in the observed oral participation variables in either subject. Peer relationships negatively affected boys’ oral participation in German and positively in math, while teacher-student relationships promoted girls’ oral participation in math. These findings suggest that subject interest does not directly translate into oral participation or explain gender differences in achievement. Instead, relationships with peers and teachers, but also stereotypes of students themselves appear to play a critical role in shaping in-class participation patterns.