Intentions of young students to enroll in science courses in the future: An examination of gender differences

Abstract

This study examined young students' perceptions of gender‐appropriate science courses. The sample consisted of 427 students in grades 4, 5, and 6, between the ages of 9 and 13. Students completed the Course Selection Sheet (CSS) to choose courses for themselves and members of the opposite gender. A psychosocial framework was offered to explain the differential course selection patterns between young boys and girls. The study reveals a strong gender effect pointing toward stereotypical perceptions of selected science courses for oneself (p ≤ 0.01). When students selected science courses for the opposite gender, the evidence of gender‐role stereotypes was even greater (p < 0.000). Course selection profiles imply that a reciprocal relationship exists in the number and kind of courses selected by girls and boys. A detailed analysis suggests that both boys and girls perceive physical science and technology‐related courses as appropriate subjects for boys to study and life sciences as appropriate subjects for girls to study. Surprisingly, students' future science course selections resemble current enrollment data of master's and doctoral candidates. The students' perceptions of science are seen years prior to the actual encounter with the science courses listed on the course selection menu. These findings question the auspiciousness of programs designed to ameliorate gender differences in science during junior or senior high school years. Suggestions for school curriculum development and the importance of informal science experiences were examined. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed 83:55–75, 1999.

Taking Stock: Where We’ve Been, Where We Are, Where We’re Going

“…There has been extensive documentation of the fact that girls perceive the fields of math and science to be the domain of White boys, that they do not see these subjects as useful to either themselves or humanity in general, that they do not see themselves as successful practitioners of math and science, and that they do not enjoy these subjects (Catsambis, 1995;Fennema & Sherman, 1977;Jones, Mullis, Raizen, Weiss, & Weston, 1992;Kelly, 1987;Riesz, McNabb, Stephen, & Ziomek, 1994;Schibeci & Riley, 1986;Sherman & Fennema, 1977;Simpson & Oliver, 1985). 9 Boys, on the other hand, consistently report more positive attitudes toward science than girls (Weinburgh, 1995 ) and believe even more strongly than girls in gender stereotypes in math and science (Farenga & Joyce, 1999;Arambula Greenfield, 1997;Kelly, 1985;Riesz et al, 1994;Steinback & Gwizdala, 1995).…”

“…Girls' attitudes toward science develop independently of their levels of achievement" (p. 253). Farenga and Joyce (1999) pointed out that even within math and science, certain subjects are perceived as masculine or feminine by students as early as kindergarten. Other studies suggest that boys and girls exhibit distinct differences in terms of the type of science in which they choose to participate (Farenga, 1995).…”

“…Although an expected benefit of the performance-based classroom was that it would compensate for these experiential disparities, we have seen that this is not always the case, as shown in Jovanovic and Dreves's (1998) study. Classroom instruction and informal science experiences, however, can form a two-pronged approach to learning, with teachers briefing parents on the school curriculum to enable them to coordinate classroom instruction and home activities (Farenga & Joyce, 1999).…”

“…They can do this by providing access to a variety of informal science experiences such a television programs, books, pets, hobbies, toys, museums, clubs, Web sites, and family vacations (Farenga & Joyce, 1999). Also, parents can transmit their attitudes and beliefs about the appropriateness of succeeding in math and science to their children via instructions or comments and may even influence the way young children learn these subjects in school (Carr, Jessup, & Fuller, 1999).…”

Student evaluations of physics teachers: On the stability and persistence of gender bias

“…In other words, the bias we observe towards the teacher is also likely to be elicited in subtle ways towards peers and others. Gendered views about physics amongst peers have previously been reported and were found to have strong implications for the science-related interests of students [38,39]. Furthermore, there is strong evidence that female students in introductory physics classes are more likely to draw on vicarious experiences (e.g., observing how others are treated) in the development of their beliefs about their own abilities [40].…”