ABSTRACT
Baxter-Magolda extended the learning context model to gender in her 1999 study. She found that learners cluster into four types: absolute knowers, transitional knowers, independent knowers, and contextual knowers. When she questioned people about their perceptions of their knowledge, patterns that often disadvantage women emerged. Among absolute knowers, men tend to view themselves as possessors and generators of authoritative knowledge. Women view themselves disproportionately as the receivers of authoritative knowledge. Among transitional knowers, women are more likely to begin to relativize knowledge based on interpersonal contexts, while men relativize through impersonal contexts. Gender distinctions disappear in those learners with high social or education attainment. This coincides with independent and contextual knowers (Baxter-Magolda 1992).
