How Novices Perceive the Culture of Physics

Bremer, Martin; Hughes, Roxanne

doi:10.1615/jwomenminorscieneng.2017016953

“…Conforme destacado por Traxler e Blue (2020, p. 179), "gênero nunca é a história toda". Tais normas compreendem a demonstração de curiosidade e interesse genuínos pelo conteúdo da física, e ao mesmo tempo a expressão de traços de personalidade específicos -confiança exagerada, arrogância, inteligência, "nerdice"e uma crença compartilhada em um status hierárquico entre a física teórica e a física aplicada ou experimental (Bremer & Hughes, 2017;Johansson, 2018;Johansson et al, 2018). Complementando essa afirmação sobre o status hierárquico entre subáreas da física, mencionamos que um estudo relatou que, em um programa de licenciatura em física, os "professores de física" eram considerados como tendo um status inferior ao dos Vidor, Danielsson, Rezende, & Ostermann "físicos", ou mesmo não eram sequer considerados "físicos" (Larsson, 2019).…”

Section: Identidadesunclassified

What are the Problem Representations and Assumptions About Gender Underlying Research on Gender in Physics and Physics Education? A Systematic Literature Review

Vidor

¹

,

Danielsson

²

,

Rezende

³

et al. 2020

RBPEC

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This work offers a systematic literature review of Brazilian and international research on gender in physics and physics education published over the last decade (2010–2019). We draw on a poststructuralist analytical approach to discuss assumptions about gender and forms of problematization of gender inequalities in physics, referred as problem representations, underlying one hundred and thirty studies. Results show that most studies (76.9%) assume a binary gender model that restricts “gender” to sex-specific issues related to female individuals. The “problem” is represented as the low number of women pursuing careers related to physics. The implied solution is to attract girls to physics and retain female academics in their careers. Around 22.3% of studies assume that “gender” is a relational construct that constitutes power relations between individuals, who may or may not conform to hetero-cis-normative social expectations. The “problem” is represented as the reproduction of gender discourses and stereotypes within and about the cultures of physics and physics education. Only one study assume “gender” as one of several axes of a complex and dynamic power system that constrains knowledge production in physics, then representing the “problem” as a matter of how theories and practices are perpetuated in the field. We conclude that a call for more gender diversity in physics and physics education should not only address hetero-cis-normative conceptions of gender, but should also challenge strict and specific cultural, social and epistemological norms within the physics community.

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“…As highlighted by Traxler and Blue (2020, p. 179), "gender is never the whole story". Such norms comprehend demonstrating genuine curiosity and interest for physics content, while also expressing specific personality traits -exaggerated confidence, arrogance, intelligence, "nerdiness" -and a shared belief in a hierarchical status between theoretical physics and applied or experimental physics (Bremer & Hughes, 2017;Johansson, 2018;Johansson et al, 2018). Complementing this statement about hierarchical status between subfields of physics, we mention that a study has reported that, in a physics teacher training program, "physics teachers" were taken to be in a lower status than "physicists", or even not to be considered "physicists" at all (Larsson, 2019).…”

Section: Identitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

What are the Problem Representations and Assumptions About Gender Underlying Research on Gender in Physics and Physics Education? A Systematic Literature Review

Vidor

¹

,

Danielsson

²

,

Rezende

³

et al. 2020

RBPEC

5

0

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This work offers a systematic literature review of Brazilian and international research on gender in physics and physics education published over the last decade (2010–2019). We draw on a poststructuralist analytical approach to discuss assumptions about gender and forms of problematization of gender inequalities in physics, referred as problem representations, underlying one hundred and thirty studies. Results show that most studies (76.9%) assume a binary gender model that restricts “gender” to sex-specific issues related to female individuals. The “problem” is represented as the low number of women pursuing careers related to physics. The implied solution is to attract girls to physics and retain female academics in their careers. Around 22.3% of studies assume that “gender” is a relational construct that constitutes power relations between individuals, who may or may not conform to hetero-cis-normative social expectations. The “problem” is represented as the reproduction of gender discourses and stereotypes within and about the cultures of physics and physics education. Only one study assume “gender” as one of several axes of a complex and dynamic power system that constrains knowledge production in physics, then representing the “problem” as a matter of how theories and practices are perpetuated in the field. We conclude that a call for more gender diversity in physics and physics education should not only address hetero-cis-normative conceptions of gender, but should also challenge strict and specific cultural, social and epistemological norms within the physics community.

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Examining the relationship between disciplinary counterspaces for undergraduate women and sense of belonging: A physics exemplar

Hazari,

Rodriguez

2024

J Res Sci Teach

0

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For students who face marginalization in a discipline, counterspaces are safe spaces of refuge that allow them to express their multiple identities and foster their sense of belonging. While prior qualitative work on counterspaces has highlighted how and why these spaces support marginalized students, there is little quantitative work that provides systemic evidence on broad counterspace initiatives formed to support students' disciplinary sense of belonging. In physics, a discipline that is deeply androcentric, two potential counterspaces have emerged for undergraduate women: the Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP) and Women in Physics Groups (WiPG). Drawing on survey data collected from undergraduate women in physics programs across the country who were registering for the 2018 CUWiP (N = 1388), we used structural equation modeling to test the effect of earlier participation in CUWiP and WiPG on students' current sense of belonging and interest in physics. We also tested the mediating effect of believing that there are serious gender issues in physics since these spaces have been found to increase students' consciousness of gender bias. The results revealed a significant positive direct effect of CUWiP and WiPG on sense of belonging. A more complex story emerged for indirect effects where believing in serious gender issues can negatively affect sense of belonging if interest in physics is not positively reinforced. Overall, the findings clearly provide quantitative evidence that broad diversity conference and affinity group initiatives, such as CUWiP and WiPG, can act as counterspaces that bolster belonging for women in disciplines like physics where they are marginalized. However, activities in these spaces should also continue to foster students' unique disciplinary interests.

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How Novices Perceive the Culture of Physics

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

What are the Problem Representations and Assumptions About Gender Underlying Research on Gender in Physics and Physics Education? A Systematic Literature Review

What are the Problem Representations and Assumptions About Gender Underlying Research on Gender in Physics and Physics Education? A Systematic Literature Review

What are the Problem Representations and Assumptions About Gender Underlying Research on Gender in Physics and Physics Education? A Systematic Literature Review

Examining the relationship between disciplinary counterspaces for undergraduate women and sense of belonging: A physics exemplar

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