Gender differences in introductory university physics performance: The influence of high school physics preparation and affective factors

Abstract

ABSTRACT:The attrition of females studying physics after high school is a growing concern to the science education community. Most undergraduate science programs require introductory physics coursework. Thus, success in introductory physics is usually necessary for students to progress to higher levels of science study. Success also influences attitudes; if females are well prepared, feel confident, and do well in introductory physics, they may be inclined to study physics further. This quantitative study using a hierarchical linear model focused on determining factors from high school physics preparation (content, pedagogy, and assessment) and the affective domain that predicted female and male performance in introductory university physics. The data analyzed came from 1973 introductory university physics surveys that included variables used as controls for student demographic and academic background characteristics. The results highlight high school physics and affective experiences that differentially predicted female and male performance. These experiences include learning requirements, long-written problems, cumulative tests/quizzes, father's encouragement, and family's belief that science leads to a better career. There were also factors that had a similar effect on female and male performance among which mathematics preparation was the overall strongest predictor of university physics performance.

Peer Instruction in Electromagnetism: The Gender Academic Performance Difference Among Pre-Service Teachers

“…Aina and Adedo (2013) have once attributed low enrolment in science subject like Physics to lack of interest. Research also suggests the rate of attrition in Physics is higher among female students (Hazari, Tai, and Sadler, 2007). The outcome of this study is consistent with Stephen (2010) that male students are proved through research to have a higher manipulative ability than their female counterparts (p.155).…”

Gender fairness within the Force Concept Inventory

“…This process removed the 8 questions with large DIF as well as items 6 and 24, producing a reduced instrument containing FCI questions: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13,16,17,18,19,20,25,26,28,29, and 30. For Sample 1, this 20-item instrument reduced the gender gap on the posttest to 4.3% from the original 8.0%, with men scoring ð73.1 AE 19Þ% and women scoring ð68.7 AE 19Þ%.…”

Female senior secondary physics students’ engagement in science: a qualitative study of constructive influences

“…In New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, participation in upper school mathematics courses has declined for both males and females, but much more markedly for females, with the gender gap present since the 1980s (Wilson & Mack 2014). Declining levels of participation are likely to have consequences for physics enrolment at university, as high school mathematics was found to be a strong predictor of achievement in university physics courses in the USA (Hazari et al 2007). A large survey of students enrolled in Year 11 physics in schools in New South Wales reported little gender difference in motivation or engagement but rather "differences in the degree to which boys and girls are motivated" (p. 59) noting that there was no consistent pattern of a gender difference across the four modules studied (Abraham & Barker 2015a).…”

“…The socioeconomic status of the school seemed to exert "a significant effect on the overall number of students progressing to ' A' level physics but little effect on the proportion of girls in the cohort" [our emphasis] (IOP 2013, p. 15). In the USA, it may well be that the pedagogies associated with teaching and learning physics (including the development of females' self-concept and persistence) in some schools are more supportive of females than others (Hazari et al 2007). Peer support and friendship groups also appear to support female students' achievement in science and mathematics.…”