Stereotyped: investigating gender in introductory science courses

Area of Science:

• Science Education
• Cognitive Psychology
• Higher Education

Background:

• Gender achievement gaps persist in STEM fields like math and physics, often linked to stereotype threat.
• Previous interventions, such as values-affirmation exercises, have successfully reduced these gaps in some disciplines.
• Limited research exists on gender performance disparities and stereotype threat in biology and biochemistry education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare academic performance between men and women in introductory biology, biochemistry, and physics.
• To assess the prevalence of stereotype threat endorsement in these science courses.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of a values-affirmation writing task in mitigating potential achievement gaps.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of final grades and normalized learning gains on concept inventories across three science sequences.
• Investigated stereotype threat endorsement through surveys or validated instruments.
• Implemented and assessed the impact of a values-affirmation writing intervention on student outcomes.

Main Results:

• No significant achievement gap was observed between men and women in the studied biology, biochemistry, and physics courses.
• Endorsement of stereotype threat was minimal among students in these science sequences.
• The values-affirmation writing task showed no significant effect on student performance or achievement gaps.

Conclusions:

• Achievement gaps and stereotype threat are context-dependent phenomena, varying across different scientific disciplines.
• The effectiveness of interventions like values-affirmation may be specific to the course context and student population.
• Further research is needed to replicate these findings across diverse educational settings and student demographics.