The 11 chapters comprising this work focus on the interactional influences that may be related to differential classroom experiences for males and females. The effects of contextual factors, teacher characteristics, and student characteristics are investigated. Addressed primarily to researchers, this information should prove useful to teachers, educational policymakers, and others who want to insure that every child is offered educational opportunities regardless of gender. Chapters are the following: (1) "Overview" (J. Lindow, C. B. Marrett, and L. C. Wilkinson) which introduces the topics of gender and teacher-student interaction, gender and peer interaction, and research on gender in the classrooms; (2) "Autonomous Learning Behavior: A Possible Explanation of Gender-Related Differences in Mathematics" (E. Fennema and P. Peterson); (3) "Listening to Adolescents: Gender Differences in Science Classroom Interaction" (L. W. Morse and H. M. Handley); (4) "Race-Gender Status, Classroom Interaction, and Children's Socialization in Elementary School" (L. Grant); (5) "Classroom Experiences and Student Gender: Are There Differences and Do They Matter?" (J. S. Eccles and P. Blumenfeld); (6) "Interactions of Male and Female Students with Male and Female Teachers" (J. Brophy); (7) "Gender Differences in Preschool Classrooms: The Effects of Sex-Typed Activity Choices" (A. C. Huston and C. J. Carpenter); (8) "Some Determinants and Consequences of Sex Segregation in the Classroom" (M. E. Lockheed); (9) "Sex Differences and Sex Segregation in Students' Small-Group Communication" (L. C. Wilkinson, J. Lindow, and C. Chiang); (10) "Gender Differences in Small-Group Interaction and Achievement in High- and Low-Achieving Classes" (N. M. Webb and C. M. Kenderski); and (11) "Gender, Classroom Organization, and Grade Level as Factors in Pupil Perceptions of Peer Interaction" (G. Morine-Dershimer). Each chapter includes statistical material on tables and graphs, and a list of references. Author and subject indexes are appended. (FMW)