Abstract
The gender gap in STEM fields has prompted a great deal of discussion, but what factors underlie performance deficits remain poorly understood. We show that female students underperformed on exams compared to their male counterparts across ten large introductory biology course sections in fall 2016 (N > 1500 students). Females also reported higher levels of test anxiety and course-relevant science interest. Results from mediation analyses revealed an intriguing pattern: for female students only, and regardless of their academic standing, test anxiety negatively impacted exam performance, while interest in the course-specific science topics increased exam performance. Thus, instructors seeking equitable classrooms can aim to decrease test anxiety and increase student interest in science course content. We provide strategies for mitigating test anxiety and suggestions for alignment of course content with student interest, with the hope of successfully reimagining the STEM pathway as one that is equally accessible to all.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | e0186419 |
| Journal | PLoS One |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 1 2017 |
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Exams disadvantage women in introductory biology. / Ballen, Cissy; Salehi, Shima; Cotner, Sehoya H.
In: PLoS One, Vol. 12, No. 10, e0186419, 01.10.2017.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Exams disadvantage women in introductory biology
AU - Ballen, Cissy
AU - Salehi, Shima
AU - Cotner, Sehoya H
PY - 2017/10/1
Y1 - 2017/10/1
N2 - The gender gap in STEM fields has prompted a great deal of discussion, but what factors underlie performance deficits remain poorly understood. We show that female students underperformed on exams compared to their male counterparts across ten large introductory biology course sections in fall 2016 (N > 1500 students). Females also reported higher levels of test anxiety and course-relevant science interest. Results from mediation analyses revealed an intriguing pattern: for female students only, and regardless of their academic standing, test anxiety negatively impacted exam performance, while interest in the course-specific science topics increased exam performance. Thus, instructors seeking equitable classrooms can aim to decrease test anxiety and increase student interest in science course content. We provide strategies for mitigating test anxiety and suggestions for alignment of course content with student interest, with the hope of successfully reimagining the STEM pathway as one that is equally accessible to all.
AB - The gender gap in STEM fields has prompted a great deal of discussion, but what factors underlie performance deficits remain poorly understood. We show that female students underperformed on exams compared to their male counterparts across ten large introductory biology course sections in fall 2016 (N > 1500 students). Females also reported higher levels of test anxiety and course-relevant science interest. Results from mediation analyses revealed an intriguing pattern: for female students only, and regardless of their academic standing, test anxiety negatively impacted exam performance, while interest in the course-specific science topics increased exam performance. Thus, instructors seeking equitable classrooms can aim to decrease test anxiety and increase student interest in science course content. We provide strategies for mitigating test anxiety and suggestions for alignment of course content with student interest, with the hope of successfully reimagining the STEM pathway as one that is equally accessible to all.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85031741894&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0186419
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0186419
M3 - Article
VL - 12
JO - PLoS One
JF - PLoS One
SN - 1932-6203
IS - 10
M1 - e0186419
ER -