For physics majors, gender differences in introductory physics do not inform future physics performance

Abstract

Analysis of institutional data for physics majors showing predictive relationships between required mathematics and physics courses in various years is important for contemplating how the courses build on each other and whether there is need to make changes to the curriculum for the majors to strengthen these relationships. We used 15 years of institutional data at a US-based large research university to investigate how introductory physics and mathematics courses predict male and female physics majors’ performance on required advanced physics and mathematics courses. We used structure equation modeling (SEM) to investigate these predictive relationships and find that among introductory and advanced physics and mathematics courses, there are gender differences in performance in favor of male students only in the introductory physics courses after controlling for high school GPA. We found that a measurement invariance fully holds in a multi-group SEM by gender, so it was possible to carry out analysis with gender mediated by introductory physics and high school GPA. Moreover, we find that these introductory physics courses that have gender differences do not predict performance in advanced physics courses. In other words, students could be using invalid data about their introductory physics performance to make their decision about whether physics is the right field for them to pursue, and those invalid data in introductory physics favor male students. Also, introductory mathematics courses predict performance in advanced mathematics courses which in turn predict performance in advanced physics courses. Furthermore, apart from the introductory physics courses that do not predict performance in future physics courses, there is a strong predictive relationship between the sophomore, junior and senior level physics courses.

Gender differences in test anxiety and self-efficacy: why instructors should emphasize low-stakes formative assessments in physics courses

“…Because research suggests that women are more likely than men to leave STEM fields due to concerns about grades (even if they have an A or B average) [52], women's lower exam scores may contribute to the loss of women from majors that require introductory calculusbased physics. This, combined with recent research that suggests that introductory mathematics courses are better predictors of future course success for physics and engineering students than introductory physics courses [49][50][51], suggests that many women who may have found success in advanced courses leave STEM fields before they have the opportunity to do so.…”

“…Both HS GPA and SAT math scores have been shown to be predictors of undergraduate performance [47], especially in quantitative courses [48]. However, we cannot assume that men's higher SAT scores directly translate into physics performance, as students in this sample have no similar gap in calculus 1, which they often take in tandem with physics 1 [49][50][51].…”

Gender motivational gap and contribution of different teaching approaches to female students’ motivation to learn physics

“…Because of that, they felt bored and did not pay attention in class. For this reason, Physics lab environments should be more equitable and inclusive, and support social interactions between students which will reduce gender-biased stereotypes and promote a question of who is Physics for and who can succeed in this field 4 , 40 , 49 – 51 . Therefore, the obtained results indicate that ICBS contributes more than the LIBE approach.…”

The relationship between gender and academic performance in undergraduate physics students: the role of physics identity, perceived recognition, and self-efficacy

“…Despite the conjecture around potential feedback loops, recent work by Whitcomb and Singh [19] suggests that physics students' academic performance in the introductory years of study is not predictive of the students' academic performance at more advanced levels of the undergraduate degree. They used structural equation modelling to demonstrate that gender differences do emerge in the grades of introductory level physics students, with men tending to perform slightly better, but that the introductory physics grades a student received did not predict the grades the student received later in their academic trajectory.…”