Do gender differences affect language learning strategies?

Question

As far as I know, there have been many discussions and a considerable amount of research about differences in learning between boys and girls, or men and women. See for example:

• Gender differences in the learning and teaching of surgery: a literature review, by Carmen Mesas Burgos and Anna Josephson (2014),
• Gender Differences in Learning and Achievement in Mathematics, Science, and Technology and Strategies for Equity: A Literature Review by Elizabeth F. Valentine,
• Boys' And Girls' Brains Are Different: Gender Differences In Language Appear Biological (ScienceDaily, 2008),
• Girls lead boys in academic achievement globally (ScienceDaily, January 2015),
• Different neural strategies for junior high school male and female English learners (ScienceDaily, March 2018),
• Gender Differences in Acceptability and Usability of Computer Based Learning Package in Electrical and Electronics Technology in Nigeria by Bamidele Michael Efuwape1 and Ayotola Aremu (2013).

Given that gender differences appear to affect so many areas related to learning, I was wondering whether research has shown gender-based differences in language learning strategies, and, if yes, what these differences are. Note that strategies are not the same thing as learning styles.

Answer 1

Yes, there is some research that has addressed this issue. Rebecca Oxford has done a lot of research on language learning strategies, and several of her studies addressed this issue.

Oxford and Nyikos (1989)(behind paywall) found that "sex had a profound effect on strategy choice"; Oxford identified 5 types of strategies, and of these 5, females used "formal rule-related practice strategies", "general study strategies" and "conversational input elicitation strategies" more than males. No significant difference was found for "functional practice strategies" or "resourceful, independent strategies".

Ehrman and Oxford (1989)(behind paywall) also examine the relationship between gender and language strategy use.

Green and Oxford (1995) looked at 50 strategies and found that 14 of these were used significantly more by women (including "Review English lessons often", "Skim then read carefully"; see table 5 in the article for all), and 1 was used signifcantly more by men ("Watch TV or movies in English").