A long-held belief holds that women perform less well than men in science classes, particularly physics courses. But, a recent study shows that it could not be more incorrect. Researchers found that Texas A&M University’s female physics students did equally well, and in some circumstances even better, than the course’s male students.
Over 10,000 students evaluated in the study
Over the period of ten years, researchers from Texas A&M’s Department of Physics and Astronomy collected information from 10,000 learners for the study. Exam results and final averages for all students who had attended beginning physics courses were examined. The statistics showed no indication that female students did worse in these particular courses than male students.
A database containing information on all beginning physics classes and student scores over the past ten years was used to get the data. The courses comprised both calculus- and algebra-based physics courses, which are typically taken by pre-med and bioscience majors as well as physics and engineering majors. Contrary to stereotype, the results showed no relationship between student sex and general course performance.
Texas A&M Physicist and Co-author Tatiana Erukhimova said, “There is no consistent trend on male students outperforming female students. Our study also provides new knowledge regarding whether statistically significant differences based on gender occurred on each exam for four introductory physics courses as the semesters were progressing — an area that has not previously been studied, at least not for such a large data set and over a long period of time.”
Women did well in algebra-based physics
Regardless of any variations in exam grades during the course evolution, there were likewise no disparities in the end averages for each course. Results also revealed that women did better than men in physics courses that used algebra.
Previous research gathered information by having students respond to questionnaires that examined their comprehension of specific physics subjects. These questionnaires, though, were voluntary, and men typically performed better on them. This strengthened the stereotype even further, leading researchers to design this study in an effort to gather solid proof.
