Proposal Title

Gendered achievement gaps in introductory science courses.

Session Type

Presentation

Room

FNB 2240

Start Date

4-7-2019 2:00 PM

Keywords

Gender achievement gap, women in STEM

Primary Threads

Evaluation of Learning

Abstract

Although they represent the overall majority of students at Canadian universities studying in science fields, women make up only about 25% of STEM professionals (Simon et al., 2017). Several explanations for this pattern have been suggested, including gendered differences in such variables as societal attitudes toward suitable careers, effects of high stakes testing and achievement in undergraduate GPA (Lauer et al., 2013). Comparison of male vs female final course grades from introductory science courses at Western University over the last five years revealed a gender gap in achievement in some courses, but not others. Female students’ grades were consistently and significantly lower in introductory biology and physics courses relative to their male peers. The gendered achievement gap widened over time as a given course increased high-stakes testing. Gendered achievement gaps were not observed in a calculus course or a second year hands-on laboratory course.

Join us for a conversation around gender gaps in science education and what can we do to address these challenges.

Lauer, S., Momsen, J., Offerdahl, E., Kryjevskaia, M., Christensen, W., & Montplaisir, L. (2013). Stereotyped: Investigating gender in introductory science courses. CBE Life Sciences Education, 12(1), 30–38. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.12-08-0133

Simon, R. M., Wagner, A., & Killion, B. (2017). Gender and choosing a STEM major in college: Femininity, masculinity, chilly climate, and occupational values. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 54(3), 299–323. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21345

Elements of Engagement

Facilitated discussion with question prompts throughout the presentation. Most of the time will be used engaging the audience in conversation to bring awareness to the gender achievement gap. Questions will centre around the following areas: Why does a gender gap exist? What can be done?

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

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Jul 4th, 2:00 PM

Gendered achievement gaps in introductory science courses.

FNB 2240

Although they represent the overall majority of students at Canadian universities studying in science fields, women make up only about 25% of STEM professionals (Simon et al., 2017). Several explanations for this pattern have been suggested, including gendered differences in such variables as societal attitudes toward suitable careers, effects of high stakes testing and achievement in undergraduate GPA (Lauer et al., 2013). Comparison of male vs female final course grades from introductory science courses at Western University over the last five years revealed a gender gap in achievement in some courses, but not others. Female students’ grades were consistently and significantly lower in introductory biology and physics courses relative to their male peers. The gendered achievement gap widened over time as a given course increased high-stakes testing. Gendered achievement gaps were not observed in a calculus course or a second year hands-on laboratory course.

Join us for a conversation around gender gaps in science education and what can we do to address these challenges.

Lauer, S., Momsen, J., Offerdahl, E., Kryjevskaia, M., Christensen, W., & Montplaisir, L. (2013). Stereotyped: Investigating gender in introductory science courses. CBE Life Sciences Education, 12(1), 30–38. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.12-08-0133

Simon, R. M., Wagner, A., & Killion, B. (2017). Gender and choosing a STEM major in college: Femininity, masculinity, chilly climate, and occupational values. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 54(3), 299–323. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21345