The Role of Gender Differences in Pre-Service Turkish Physical Education Teachers' Attitudes Towards Teaching Profession: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

The aim of this study is to estimate the role of gender differences in the teaching profession in a meta-analytic way, based on empirical findings analysing Turkish pre-service physical education teachers' attitudes towards the teaching profession. For this purpose, studies, that were published in Türkiye between 2015 and 2023 were searched by following the PRISMA Protocol. As a final search we reached 65 studies and 28 of them met the criteria for inclusion in the meta-analysis. The data analysis was made with JASP 0.16.4.0 software. As a result of the analysis, it was found that the effect of gender difference on the attitudes of Turkish pre-service physical education teachers towards the teaching profession was weak (g = −0.159, 95% CI [−0.262, −0.055]). Also, the effect size distribution of the examined studies was found to be heterogeneous (Q = 112.350; p < 0.001; I² = 81.178), and it was confirmed that there was no publication bias by Egger's (z = −0.853; p > 0.05) and Rosenthal's FSN (N = 438,000, p < 0.001) tests. In conclusion, the results of this meta-analysis indicate that the impact of gender on the attitudes of Turkish pre-service physical education teachers towards the teaching profession is relatively weak and appears to favour women. It is recommended that further research be conducted to ascertain whether this gender-based difference in attitudes will evolve over time. Additionally, it would be prudent for higher education institutions and education policymakers to implement measures to mitigate the influence of gender stereotypes in the teaching profession.