Gender and Language Acquisition

Abstract

Opinions have been divergent concerning the rate of language acquisition between male and female learners. This paper examined the claims that male learners acquire language better and faster than their female counterparts using phonology of English as a unit of language study. The scores of forty students (twenty males and twenty females) of the Federal College of Education Yola in phonology-related courses were examined. One research question and a null hypothesis were posed. A t-test of the scores gave a verdict of no significant difference in the mean scores of the two groups. The study recommended that equal educational opportunities should be provided to all students irrespective of their gender differences