Abstract

We investigate if the gender gap in conceptual understanding in an introductory university physics course can be reduced by using interactive engagement methods that promote in-class interaction, reduce competition, foster collaboration, and emphasize conceptual understanding. To this end we analyzed data from the introductory calculus-based physics course for non-majors at Harvard University taught traditionally or using different degrees of interactive engagement. Our results show that teaching with certain interactive strategies not only yields significantly increased understanding for both males and females, but also reduces the gender gap. In the most interactively taught courses, the pre-instruction gender gap was gone by the end of the semester.

Keywords

Gender gapMathematics educationPhysicsClass (philosophy)Physics educationStudent engagementPsychologyComputer scienceArtificial intelligence

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Publication Info

Year
2006
Type
article
Volume
74
Issue
2
Pages
118-122
Citations
417
Access
Closed

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Mercedes Lorenzo, Catherine H. Crouch, Eric Mazur (2006). Reducing the gender gap in the physics classroom. American Journal of Physics , 74 (2) , 118-122. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.2162549

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DOI
10.1119/1.2162549