Speaker
Description
The observed gender gap in physics testing is a problem which plagues physics education. Many studies in universities across North America show that female students consistently perform worse than male students on written examinations and concept inventories, though the size of this performance gap varies from study to study. In some cases, this gender gap in performance has been linked to more negative perceptions and lower confidence in physics among female students. The goal of our study was to determine if there is a gender gap in perceived confidence and interest in physics at the introductory level.
An online survey was distributed to the three streams of introductory physics students at McMaster University which had students answer a range of questions about their undergraduate degree, background, comfort, confidence, and other metrics. We asked students to rate their interest and preparedness in physics before and after taking their introductory course. Upon analysis of these results, a clear gender gap was observed in key areas such as perceived confidence within the course, and the student's level of interest in physics. Female students consistently reported lower perceptions of preparedness and interest in the course relative to their male counterparts. However, when analyzing the change in interest and confidence, the gender gap greatly varied dependant on the introductory stream. An online survey will also be distributed to upper year physics students to probe whether the confidence and interest gap extends throughout undergraduate degrees, or whether the gap narrows as students get accustomed to the university environment. Lower confidence in first year could negatively impact the performance of female physics students at McMaster and could contribute to a lack of gender diversity in upper year physics programs.
The affirmation of the student gender gap in confidence within introductory physics courses at a large Canadian institution is a troubling but crucial step in creating a welcoming and inclusive physics education environment for all students.
