Great research on girls and science…
As any faithful reader knows, I think it’s important to lure more women into math/science majors and careers. Given the growing college gender gaps, it’s the only way this nation will remain internationally competitive. This article from ScienceDaily lays out some useful research:
New research by a team that includes vocational psychologists at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) indicates that the self-confidence instilled by parents and teachers is more important for young girls learning math and science than their initial interest.
While interest is certainly a factor in getting older girls to study and pursue a career in these disciplines, more attention should be given to building confidence in their abilities early in their education, says UWM Distinguished Professor Nadya Fouad (pictured here). She is one of the authors of a three-year study aimed at identifying supports and barriers that steer girls toward or away from science and math during their education.
“The relationship between confidence and interest is close,” says Fouad. “If they feel they can do it, it feeds their interest.”
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The study confirmed that old stereotypes die slowly. Both boys and girls perceived that teachers thought boys were stronger at math and science. For boys this represented a support, while for girls it acted as a barrier.
Top barriers for all age groups and disciplines were test anxiety and subject difficulty. But these differed between boys and girls. In addition, the genders formed their perceptions of math or science based on the barriers and supports, but they often arrived at different views.
Ultimately, it’s perception, more than reality, that affects the person’s academic and career choices, says Fouad
Hmmm…could this tell us something about why boys are so far behind girls in reading and writing?
