• Open Access

Preliminary investigation of instructor effects on gender gap in introductory physics

Kimberley Kreutzer and Andrew Boudreaux
Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 8, 010120 – Published 4 May 2012

Abstract

Gender differences in student learning in the introductory, calculus-based electricity and magnetism course were assessed by administering the Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism pre- and postcourse. As expected, male students outgained females in traditionally taught sections as well as sections that incorporated interactive engagement (IE) techniques. In two of the IE course sections, however, the gains of female students were comparable to those of male students. Classroom observations of the course sections involved were made over an extended period. In this paper, we characterize the observed instructor-student interactions using a framework from educational psychology referred to as wise schooling. Results suggest that instructor practices affect differential learning, and that wise schooling techniques may constitute an effective strategy for promoting gender equity in the physics classroom.

  • Figure
  • Received 30 October 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.8.010120

This article is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

Published by the American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Kimberley Kreutzer1 and Andrew Boudreaux2,*

  • 1Department of Mathematics, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634, USA
  • 2Department of Physics and Astronomy, Western Washington University, 516 High Street, Bellingham, Washington 98225, USA

  • *andrew.boudreaux@wwu.edu

Article Text

Click to Expand

References

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 8, Iss. 1 — January - June 2012

Reuse & Permissions
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review Physics Education Research

Reuse & Permissions

It is not necessary to obtain permission to reuse this article or its components as it is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI are maintained. Please note that some figures may have been included with permission from other third parties. It is your responsibility to obtain the proper permission from the rights holder directly for these figures.

×

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×