Reducing the Gender Achievement Gap in College Science: A Classroom Study of Values Affirmation

In many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines, women are outperformed by men in test scores, jeopardizing their success in science-oriented courses and careers. The current study tested the effectiveness of a psychological intervention, called values affirmation, in reducing...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2010-11, Vol.330 (6008), p.1234-1237
Main Authors: Miyake, Akira, Kost-Smith, Lauren E, Finkelstein, Noah D, Pollock, Steven J, Cohen, Geoffrey L, Ito, Tiffany A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Achievement
Biological and medical sciences
Classrooms
Colleges
Educational Measurement
Educational psychology
Elevated
Engineering
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gender identity
Gender performativity
Humans
Learning
Male
Mathematical analysis
Mathematics
Men
Physics
Physics - education
Psychoeducational intervention
Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Pupil and student. Academic achievement and failure
Self Concept
Sex Factors
Social Values
Standardized tests
Stereotypes
Stereotyping
Students
Universities
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines, women are outperformed by men in test scores, jeopardizing their success in science-oriented courses and careers. The current study tested the effectiveness of a psychological intervention, called values affirmation, in reducing the gender achievement gap in a college-level introductory physics class. In this randomized double-blind study, 399 students either wrote about their most important values or not, twice at the beginning of the 15-week course. Values affirmation reduced the male-female performance and learning difference substantially and elevated women's modal grades from the C to B range. Benefits were strongest for women who tended to endorse the stereotype that men do better than women in physics. A brief psychological intervention may be a promising way to address the gender gap in science performance and learning.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1195996