THE ROLE OF GENDER IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRE-SERVICE ENGLISH TEACHERS’ LEARNING INTERACTION AND ENGLISH ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT DURING DISTANCE LEARNING

Abstract

A classroom is one of the core aspects of education in which students communicate with their
teachers, peers, and learning resources. As the COVID-19 pandemic triggers, several countries
worldwide have temporarily shut down their schools and switched from traditional education to a
distance learning environment, on the one side, to reduce this pandemic in human societies and, on
the other, to ensure that learning is continuous. Inevitably this situation affects the transition in the
Indonesian education system towards distance learning. Several research finds specific significant
distance learning considerations. However, preliminary research tends to reveal the importance of
learning interaction, specifically for pre-service English teachers. Thus, this research explores the
discrepancy which highlights the status of gender in the relationship between pre-service English
teachers' learning interaction and English academic achievement during distance learning in
Indonesia. We carried out a qualitative analysis to test the research model statistically. A survey
was used to accomplish the current research. The critical focus of the research was on a group of
pre-service English teachers consisting of 34 people. Data were received online from a Google
form. The instrument was an online survey of 8 statements, all closed statements. The findings
suggested a direct influence on English academic achievement through pre-service English teachers'
learning interactions, although the impact could be moderate. The findings also revealed that males
were more affecting than females in affecting the relationship between learning interaction and
English academic achievement during distance learning.