GENDER AND LEARNING IN THE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN STUDIO O. Fulani 1 , D. Amole 2 1 Covenant University (NIGERIA) 2 Obafemi Awolowo University (NIGERIA) Abstract This study aimed at gaining a better understanding of the link between the learning characteristics of students of architecture and their gender. The Learning combination inventory was administered to both undergraduate and post graduate architecture students from the second to sixth year in a private university in Nigeria. Using Parametric and non-parametric statistical tests, it was found that out of four processing patterns, (Sequential, Precise, Technical and Confluent) there were sex differences in Technical and CP with the male students scoring significantly higher than their female colleagues in both cases. Gender identity differences were also investigated based on Bem’s gender schema and the masculine students were found to be more proficient than the feminine students in both technical and CP. These findings suggested that male and masculine students were more creative than female and feminine students. The implications of these findings as well as positive steps that can be taken to ginger higher levels of creativity in the female students were fully discussed. Keywords: Gender, Gender Identity, Architectural education, learning patterns. 1 INTRODUCTION Student learning issues are increasingly receiving attention in architectural education [1] [2] [3] [4] [5], [6]. Studies have shown that individuals possess varying learning preferences and predilections [7] [8] which describe the easiest way by which they obtain understanding of a subject matter. Some people learn by sensing, some by visualizing, some by verbalizing, some by reflection and some by doing [9]. Several learning theories and instruments for measuring them also exist. Some of such instruments include learning style inventory of Kolb [10], inventory of learning styles [11] learning combination inventory [8] and Keirsey temperament Sorter. Scholars [10] [11] suggested that learning is discipline, culture and gender specific and several studies to test these are reported in literature. Architectural education has often been accused of being unable to sufficiently cater for the learning needs of females and other minorities within it and in multiracial societies, it has been argued to favour the males, masculine and white majorities [1] [12] [13] [14]. Many have undertaken to study the learning preferences or characteristics of students of architecture [7] [15] [3] [4] [5] [6] [16] but few have paid attention to gender specific differences. Those studies that paid attention to gender differences [15] [5] [1] [17] [18] had mixed findings and were mostly concentrated in more developed nations of the world. There is a need to fully understand how gender influences or relates to learning in schools of architecture in other parts of the world in a bid to fulfill the gender mainstreaming agenda of the United Nations [19]. 1.1.1 Problem statement and Research questions The main problem to be addressed by this paper is to investigate for gender and gender identity differences in the learning patterns of students of architecture in a private university in Nigeria. The specific questions to be answered by this paper are: 1. What are the gender identities of the students of architecture? 2. How do the learning patterns of these students vary by gender? 3. How do the learning styles vary by gender identity? 1.2 Review of Studies about Gender and Learning in Architectural Education Using the Grasha- Reichmann scale, it was reported that female students of architecture tended to prefer participatory and collaborative methods of learning and had less flair for competitiveness. The same study reported that using the Felder-Silverman scale, more females (67%) than males (50%)