Assessing implicit gender bias in Medical Student Performance Evaluations.
Rick D Axelson1, Catherine M Solow, Kristi J Ferguson
1Office of Consultation and Research in Medical Education, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA. rick-axelson@uiowa.edu
Evaluation & the Health Professions
|August 31, 2010
Summary
Gender bias in medical school evaluations persists, with women more often described with communal adjectives and men as quick learners. Addressing these biases is crucial for fair student assessment.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Gender Studies
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Increasing female enrollment in medical schools necessitates unbiased student evaluation.
- Traditional assessment methods may contain subtle gender biases.
- Medical Student Performance Evaluations (MSPEs) are critical for career progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and quantify gender bias in adjective data used in MSPEs.
- To analyze patterns of gender-based adjective attribution.
- To investigate the impact of student proficiency on gender bias.
Main Methods:
- Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) on adjective data from 657 medical students.
- Statistical modeling to detect systematic scoring differences by gender.
- Comparative analysis of adjective frequencies between male and female students.
Main Results:
- Women were disproportionately described with "compassionate," "sensitive," and "enthusiastic."
- Men were more frequently labeled "quick learners" compared to women.
- The "quick learner" gender gap widens with increasing student proficiency.
Conclusions:
- Gender bias is present in MSPE adjective data, affecting perceptions of student attributes.
- Biased language can perpetuate stereotypes and impact career opportunities.
- Strategies are needed to mitigate gender bias in medical student evaluations.
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