Gender Differences in the Use and Effectiveness of Personal Response Devices

The use of personal response devices (or “clickers”) in the classroom has increased in recent years. While few quantitative studies on the effectiveness of clickers have been published, it is generally reported that clickers have been well-received by the students who use them. Two separate populations (Winter 2006 and Spring 2006) of engineering students were given clickers to use during a general chemistry class. Clicker use was compared to student grades for each course. During both terms, a higher percentage of female students than male students “actively participated” in the lectures, where active participation was defined as answering more than 75% of the clicker questions over the course of the term. Active male students earned final grades about 10 points higher than non-active male students. Active female students, however, scored only about 5 points higher than non-active female students. Student learning was assessed by comparing performance on exam questions and clicker questions with similar content. Students who answered clicker questions correctly were 11–13% more likely to answer the corresponding exam questions correctly than were students who did not answer the clicker question. In this paper, we demonstrate the effectiveness of clicker use in the classroom and examine gender differences associated with this use.     

利用Flash软件对多项选择题的设计与实现

基于Flash8软件的多项选择题在教学、考试中是一个重点,也是一个难点。以多项选择题的设计与实现为例,通过添加相应的元件、对应的变量和相应的处理代码,介绍了Flash的具体操作步骤方法。     

Productive Discussion in Science: Gender Equity Through Electronic Discourse

Electronic discussion tools can have several advantages over classroom discussion to support productive learning conversations in science. This paper describes how an electronic collaborative discussion tool called the Multimedia Forum Kiosk (MFK) enabled equitable learning opportunities in scientific discourse: generating explanations, revising ideas of others, and asking questions. Studies compared gender differences in participation between class discussion and MFK discussion, as well as examined three different formats for electronic discussion: anonymous, attributed, and attributed with authority participation. Results indicate that in all discussions, 78% of the students contributed in electronic discussion compared to only 15.3% participation in class discussion. Females participated more than males in electronic discussion, and less than males in classroom discussion. Girls report feeling less stifled when participating in an electronic medium where anonymity is an option. All electronic discussions were characterized by high levels of scientific conceptual content, elaborations, and question-asking. Students generated a repertoire of models for phenomena, asked content-focusing questions, and provided causal explanations using MFK. Implications for future research and design of electronic discussion tools are discussed.     

Gender Differences in Science: An Expertise Perspective

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new approach to research on gender differences in science that uses the work on expertise in science as a framework for understanding gender differences. Because gender differences in achievement and participation in the sciences are largest in physics, the focus of this review is on physics. The nature of expertise is first discussed and a framework that focuses on factors that influence the emergence of expertise in physics is presented. This is used to interpret what is known about gender differences in science, particularly physics. Next, the potential contributions of the research on gender differences to our understanding of expertise are discussed. Using what is learned from these two areas of research, recommendations are made for future research examining gender differences in physics. It is suggested that such an approach be used for other areas of science, such as chemistry, where large gender differences in achievement and participation also exist.     

英语学习中的性别差异及其对策探析

本文就男女生在英语学习中所呈现出来的差异从社会性别理论视角进行了分析,并结合教育学理论提出了教育管理对策。     

Solving graphics tasks: Gender differences in middle-school students

The capacity to solve tasks that contain high concentrations of visual-spatial information, including graphs, maps and diagrams, is becoming increasingly important in educational contexts as well as everyday life. This research examined gender differences in the performance of students solving graphics tasks from the Graphical Languages in Mathematics (GLIM) instrument that included number lines, graphs, maps and diagrams. The participants were 317 Australian students (169 males and 148 females) aged 9-12 years. Boys outperformed girls on graphical languages that required the interpretation of information represented on an axis and graphical languages that required movement between two- and three-dimensional representations (generally Map language).     

Automated Scoring of Constructed‐Response Science Items: Prospects and Obstacles

Content‐based automated scoring has been applied in a variety of science domains. However, many prior applications involved simplified scoring rubrics without considering rubrics representing multiple levels of understanding. This study tested a concept‐based scoring tool for content‐based scoring, c‐rater?, for four science items with rubrics aiming to differentiate among multiple levels of understanding. The items showed moderate to good agreement with human scores. The findings suggest that automated scoring has the potential to score constructed‐response items with complex scoring rubrics, but in its current design cannot replace human raters. This article discusses sources of disagreement and factors that could potentially improve the accuracy of concept‐based automated scoring.     

Sex Differences in the Use of Science and Technology in Children's Cartoons

Television is among the many mechanisms that transmit information about sex-appropriate behavior to children. In order to examine whether television cartoons portray male and female characters using science and technology in a different manner, we examined the amount and type of science and technology utilized by characters in popular children's cartoons. Results revealed that most characters in these cartoons were male who were often depicted using science and technology, usually while being aggressive. When female characters were shown, they were portrayed as both able and prosocial, using science and technology for the greater good of others, rather than for destruction. In addition, female characters performed prosocial behaviors such as caring and sharing, showed self-confidence and explained things to others, and were less angry and violent than were male characters. Our findings suggest that the portrayal of female characters as competent may be successfully linked with the tendency to also show them as prosocial. Despite relatively positive portrayal of female characters, however, their appearance was rare and most likely not the main focus of the action.     

Gender and physics: feminist philosophy and science education

Physics education reform movements should pay attention to feminist analyses of gender in the culture of physics for two reasons. One reason is that feminist analyses contribute to an understanding of a ‘chilly climate’ women encounter in many physics university departments. Another reason is that feminist analyses reveal that certain styles of doing science are predominant in the culture of physics. I introduce recent philosophical work in social epistemology to argue that the predominance of certain styles of doing science is not good for science. Scientific communities would benefit from greater diversity in styles of doing science.

Ethnic and Gender Differences in Science Graduation at Selective Colleges with Implications for Admission Policy and College Choice

Using Bowen and Bok's data from 23 selective colleges, we fit multilevel logit models to test two hypotheses with implications for affirmative action and group differences in attainment of science, math, or engineering (SME) degrees. Hypothesis 1, that differences in precollege academic preparation will explain later SME graduation disparities, was fully supported with respect to the outcome gap between Whites and underrepresented minorities, partially supported for that between Asians and underrepresented minorities, and between men and women. Hypothesis 2, that college selectivity, after accounting for student characteristics, will be positively associated with SME persistence, was not supported. We demonstrate that the significance of the selectivity effect is overestimated when unilevel models are used. Admission officials are advised to carefully consider the relative academic preparedness of science-interested students, and such students choosing among colleges are advised to compare their academic qualifications to those of successful science students at each institution.     

适应与超越:科技发展的教育选择

从科学、技术和教育三者的发展可以看出教育与科学、技术联系密切，人类历史上的几次科技革命导致了教育的嬗变。现代科技发展出现了新的趋势，相应的，教育也必须改变传统的方式，与科技发展相适应。而教育不能够被动的适应，必须应对科技发展的特点和要求，以人为本，实现教育的超越。     

Gender differences in the Australian undergraduate STEM student experience: a systematic review

ABSTRACT

In Australia, the number of female graduates in some science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines is as low as 15%. Previous reviews exploring the issues affecting female undergraduate STEM students are primarily based in North America and there is yet to be an Australian focused review. This review identifies the factors contributing to the gendered experience of Australian undergraduate STEM students. A systematic review was conducted in November – December 2018 using ERIC, PsycInfo, ProQuest and Scopus databases. From this review, 36 papers that focus on gender differences and university STEM students in Australia were identified. The Australian research suggests the most prominent issue for female STEM students is their lower self-efficacy. Gendered preferences for learning, gendered motivations to pursue STEM degrees, the masculine culture of these fields and gender differences in science identity were also themes identified through the review. This review indicates some gaps in the Australian literature, namely that identity, and other emotional factors, are understudied in the Australian context and an avenue for future research. The findings suggest that science educators should be aware of the gendered experiences of their students to ensure female persistence in university STEM degrees.     

Gender Difference,Misconceptions and Instruction in Science

The study examined into the relationship between gender and students' misconceptions in science. Two different groups were treated with two different teaching strategies, namely, teaching strategy 1, which is basically didactic in nature, and teaching strategy 11, which incorporates students' misconceptions and applies the Generative Learning Model. Two groups of secondary three students (N=26,27; randomly sampled), underwent 6 weeks of instruction, with the respective strategies mentioned above. Each group consisted of male and female students, the numbers of which resulted from the grouping based on their academic achievements. A constructed and validated diagnostic instrument was used as a means to measure the effectiveness of these two teaching strategies. The findings showed that gender differences did not relate well to students' misconceptions in science. The implications of this finding are discussed.     

新时期的地球科学与地学创新人才培养

20世纪末以来,以地球系统为代表的新的地学思维观与认知方法论和以数字地球为代表的地学新技术迅速改变了地球科学的内涵与外延,并对地学人才的知识结构与能力提出了新的要求。与此同时,地球科学作为大科学研究的舞台愈加宽阔,地质教育进入了一个新的发展阶段。成都理工大学始终坚持以科学发展观为统领,准确把握地球科学的发展与演变,不断深化教育教学改革,实现了高等地质教育又好又快的可持续发展。     

幼儿园科学区角材料投放及使用研究

本研究选取了北京市两所中等水平幼儿园的6个班级(每所幼儿园各1个大、中、小班)为研究对象,通过观察和访谈,了解了在幼儿园科学区角投放材料的种类、来源、更新情况及幼儿对材料的使用情况和教师的指导情况,并对教师科学教育能力的发展提出了建议.     

Gender Stereotyping and Affective Attitudes Towards Science in Chinese Secondary School Students

This study explores explicit and implicit gender‐science stereotypes and affective attitudes towards science in a sample of Chinese secondary school students. The results showed that (1) gender‐science stereotyping was more and more apparent as the specialization of science subjects progresses through secondary school, becoming stronger from the 10th grade; girls were more inclined to stereotype than boys while this gender difference decreased with increasing grade; (2) girls tend to have an implicit science‐unpleasant/humanities‐pleasant association from the 8th grade, while boys showed a negative implicit attitude towards science up to the 11th grade. In self‐report, girls preferred humanities to science, while boys preferred science to humanities; (3) implicit affective attitude was closely related to implicit stereotype. In particular, implicit affective attitude has a stronger predictive power on stereotype than the other way around, the result of which may have more significance for girls.     

从社会性别理论看英语自主学习中的性别差异及对策探析

本研究假设：音体美学生的性别会影响他们／她们的英语自主学习过程。通过问卷调查和访谈形式,对江西财经大学04级音体美英语自主学习状况进行调查,并用SPSS11．0对调查数据进行统计。卡方检验的结果显示男女生在英语自主学习过程有差异。建议：应根据差异采取相应的教育管理对策。     

当代大学生国家科技安全教育及其路径选择

在科技全球化语境下,加强对大学生国家科技安全意识的培养,成为思想政治教育面临的时代性课题。作为大学生国家科技安全教育主阵地的思想政治教育,要在教育意识、教育内容、教育路径等进行创新,构建与时俱进的内含国家科技安全教育的思想政治教育体系。     

家庭教育资源分配的性别差异问题--来自三都水族村寨的个案调查

在对贵州省三都水族自治县苗草村开展的个案调查中发现:家庭内部教育资源分配差异是导致女童失辍学的主要原因。这种分配差异主要表现在教育投资等物质资源以及家长对男女童的教育观念等人文资源的分配差异。家庭的社会经济地位、家庭内部男女地位结构等因素与教育资源分配的性别差异形成有极大关系。     

College Major and the Gender Earnings Gap: A Multi-country Examination of Postgraduate Labour Market Outcomes

This paper explores the effects of degree choice on the distribution of occupational benefits in terms of income, and their contribution to the gender earnings gap, among young European higher education graduates. The results reveal that the field of study, which is the result of a personal choice, appears to influence the distribution of work-related benefits among graduates even after controlling for unobservable heterogeneity and observable individual/job specific characteristics. Analysis of the gender earnings gap shows that the earning disparities among female/male graduates in Education, Humanities and Mathematics are smaller.