Characterizing the gender gap in introductory physics

Abstract

Previous research [S. J. Pollock et al., Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 3, 1 (2007)] showed that despite the use of interactive engagement techniques, the gap in performance between males and females on a conceptual learning survey persisted from pretest to post-test at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Such findings were counter to previously published work [M. Lorenzo et al., Am. J. Phys. 74, 118 (2006)]. This study begins by identifying a variety of other gender differences. There is a small but significant difference in the course grades of males and females. Males and females have significantly different prior understandings of physics and mathematics. Females are less likely to take high school physics than males, although they are equally likely to take high school calculus. Males and females also differ in their incoming attitudes and beliefs about physics. This collection of background factors is analyzed to determine the extent to which each factor correlates with performance on a conceptual post-test and with gender. Binned by quintiles, we observe that males and females with similar pretest scores do not have significantly different post-test scores (p>0.2) . The post-test data are then modeled using two regression models (multiple regression and logistic regression) to estimate the gender gap in post-test scores after controlling for these important prior factors. These prior factors account for about 70% of the observed gender gap. The results indicate that the gender gap exists in interactive physics classes at our institution but is largely associated with differences in previous physics and math knowledge and incoming attitudes and beliefs

Unpacking Gender Differences in Students’ Perceived Experiences in Introductory Physics

“…In Table 1 we also present the gender difference in students' overall grades in the course. In a previous paper [2] we reported that in no semester did we see a statistically significant gender difference in student grade, though males always earned slightly higher grades than females. Since that publication, we have observed two instances where there was a statistically significant (p<0.01) gender difference in course grade.…”

“…Further, this gender gap can be largely accounted for by differences in physics and mathematics background and prior attitudes and beliefs about physics [2]. We are now interested in how males and females experience the introductory physics course, whether there are differences by gender, and whether these differential experiences impact the gender gap in performance that we observe.…”

Identifying events that impact self-efficacy in physics learning

“…In recent years, research interests have focused on how students choose to major in various technical fields, and what motivational factors impact their choice [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Since the 1980s an abundance of research has shown that science self-efficacy, or confidence in one's own ability to complete the actions necessary to perform a task [7], is related to success in particular fields [8][9][10][11][12], as well as a predictor of the career choice an individual will make [10,[13][14][15][16].…”

”A tale of two cities”

“…Skiften som observerats är störst hos kvinnliga civilingenjörsstudenter och större än något som observerats i andra studier, även inkluderat non-majors (Adams et al, 2006, Kost, Pollock & Finkelstein, 2009). De manliga studenterna uppvisar genomgående ett mindre skift, men även här är skiftet oroväckande stort i fallet med problemlösningskate-gorierna.…”