Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 19, 2026
06:54
A Virtual Simulation Experiment of Mechanics: Material Deformation and Failure Based on Scanning Electron Microscopy
Published on: January 20, 2023
3.7K
Gender-Specific Covariations between Competencies, Interest and Effort during Science Learning in Virtual
Eva Christophel1, Wolfgang Schnotz1
1Department of Psychology, University of Koblenz and Landau, Landau, Germany.
Frontiers in Psychology
|November 9, 2017
Summary
Virtual STEM learning environments show gender similarities in strategic competence and interest. However, mental effort in female students uniquely correlates with strategic and arithmetic skills, suggesting tailored engineering courses could boost women in STEM.
Area of Science:
- Engineering Education
- Educational Psychology
- Virtual Learning Environments
Background:
- Women remain underrepresented in engineering fields.
- German universities are exploring separate women's engineering courses with virtual STEM learning.
- Understanding gender-specific learning patterns in virtual environments is crucial for effective pedagogy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify similarities and differences in virtual STEM learning between male and female students.
- To investigate the correlation between cognitive competences, motivation, and effort in virtual STEM learning.
- To inform the design of gender-appropriate virtual STEM learning environments and engineering courses.
Main Methods:
- A field study was conducted with 56 students (27 female, 29 male) in the Open MINT Labs (OML) project.
- Participants engaged with a virtual STEM learning environment during regular science lessons.
- Data were collected using questionnaires assessing competences, motivation, and mental effort.
Main Results:
- Both genders showed a positive correlation between strategic competences and situational interest in virtual STEM learning.
- Gender differences emerged in the correlation between mental effort and specific competences.
- Female learners' mental effort decreased with higher strategic competences but increased with higher arithmetic-operative competences.
Conclusions:
- Female learners exhibit greater sensitivity to variations in strategic and arithmetic-operative competences concerning mental effort.
- These findings support the potential effectiveness of separate women's engineering courses.
- Tailoring virtual STEM learning environments to be more gender-appropriate could help increase female enrollment in engineering.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development
343
Social-emotional experiences and cultural influences play significant roles in shaping gender development. During middle childhood, from ages 6 to 11, peer groups become dominant in reinforcing gender norms. Children in this age group often align with same-gender peer groups, which actively encourage behaviors that conform to traditional gender roles. For instance, boys may be discouraged from engaging in activities perceived as feminine, reinforcing culturally dictated norms about masculinity...
343
01:29Factors Influencing Attraction V: Social Skills
848
Social skills play a crucial role in shaping interpersonal interactions and enhancing individuals' ability to navigate various social environments successfully. These skills contribute to personal and professional success, influencing how others perceive and treat individuals. High social skills provide distinct advantages in numerous settings, including romantic relationships, politics, and legal proceedings. In courtroom settings, for instance, defendants who exhibit strong social skills are...
848
01:29Environmental Influences on Intelligence
984
Despite the strong genetic influence on traits like intelligence, environmental factors significantly shape outcomes. For example, while over 90% of height variation is due to genetic differences, environmental factors such as nutrition also have a notable impact. Similarly, for intelligence, changes in a child's surroundings can significantly alter their IQ. Research shows that enriched environments boost children's academic success and help them develop key cognitive skills. Children...
984
01:13Principle of Virtual Work: Problem Solving
1.7K
The principle of virtual work is an essential concept in the field of mechanics and engineering. This is used to solve problems related to the equilibrium of a structure or system. It is based on the assumption that if a system is in equilibrium, the work done by all the forces during a virtual displacement is zero. This principle is applied by considering virtual displacements of the system and the corresponding work done by internal and external forces.
To apply the principle of virtual work,...
To apply the principle of virtual work,...
1.7K
01:23Factors Influencing Attraction III: Similarity
839
The similarity hypothesis suggests that individuals are more likely to form relationships with others who share similar attitudes, beliefs, values, and interests. This concept has been widely studied in social psychology, demonstrating that perceived similarity fosters interpersonal attraction. In an experiment supporting this hypothesis, participants were presented with fabricated information indicating that strangers held attitudes similar to their own. The results showed that participants...
839
01:30Biological Influences on Intelligence
609
Intelligence is often thought to be linked to brain size, but the relationship is more complex than that. While brain size does correlate modestly with some abilities, like verbal skills, the connection is weaker for others, such as spatial reasoning. Other factors, like brain structure, also play crucial roles. For instance, despite Einstein's smaller-than-average brain, his parietal cortex, which is involved in spatial reasoning, was 15% wider, suggesting that neural density might matter...
609