“If I had to do it, then I would”: Understanding early middle school students’ perceptions of physics and physics-related careers by gender

Abstract

[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Gender in Physics.] This study examined the perceptions of 6th grade middle school students regarding physics and physics-related careers. The overarching goal of this work was to understand similarities and differences between girls' and boys' perceptions surrounding physics and physics-related careers as part of a long-term effort to increase female interest and representation in this particular field of science. A theoretical framework based on the literature of girl-friendly and integrated STEM instructional strategies guided this work to understand how instructional strategies may influence and relate to students' perceptions. This convergent parallel mixed-methods study used a survey and focus group interviews to understand similarities and differences between girls' and boys' perceptions. Our findings indicate very few differences between girls and boys, but show that boys are more interested in the physics-related career of engineering. While girls are just as interested in science class as their male counterparts, they highly value the social aspect that often accompanies hands-on group activities. These findings shed light on how K-12 science reform efforts might help to increase the number of women pursuing careers related to physics.

The Effectiveness of Practical Work in Physics to Improve Students’ Academic Performances

“…Furthermore, gender difference does not affect students' mastery of a science subject (Okam & Zakari, 2017). However, in this study showed that male students performed better than female students as they were more enthusiastic to learn how things worked and had a higher interest compared to female students in science class (Dare & Roehrig, 2016). Moreover, it is believed that male students understand the physics concept better than female students (Musasia, Ocholla, & Sakwa, 2016).…”

Eliciting the Views of Prospective Elementary and Preschool Teachers about the Nature of Science

“…There is a myriad of research studies reporting the more positive attitudes of males towards science than females (e.g. Dare & Roehrig, 2016;Jones, Howe, & Rua, 2000;Osborne, Simon, & Collins, 2003). One's personal conception of science is an important factor in determining his/her attitudes towards science (Christidou, 2011;Hsiao-Ching, 1998).…”

Gender response to Einsteinian physics interventions in school

“…It is suggested that there is a need to encourage them to gain a positive attitude towards STEM subjects [9], [10], [11]. In certain studies, it has been shown that female students have less positive attitude towards science than male students [1], [12]. Numerous studies have shown that high school is the time in which young female students' interest towards STEM subjects can be cultivated [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18], [19].…”

“…Interactive discussions and experiences in physics classes have positive impact on male and female achievement in science [25], [26]. Dare and Roehrig reported, that Year 6 female students identified hands-on activities, interactive learning, and participation in experiments as the primary reasons in their enjoyment of science in schools [27]. Female students also identify that active participation or learning-by-doing helps them to remember things for longer rather than by just reading books.…”