Persisting in Physics and the Physics Olympiad — Impact of Gender Identification and Sense of Belonging on Expectancy-Value Outcomes

The German Physics Olympiad is an extracurricular science contest for students. Here, they have the opportunity to compete against other talented students, can do physics outside of school, and take a first step to more engagement in the domain. Yet, female students participate in the competition in fewer numbers and are disproportionally more likely to drop out of the contest earlier than the male students.

The present study hence explored the question to which extent the German Physics Olympiad provides a threatening environment for female contestants’ intentions of persisting in physics. A total of 298 participants (28% female) were surveyed with respect to stereotype and social identity threat, as well as gender identification and sense of belonging as predictors of success expectations for and value of choosing to study physics. Success expectations and value of choosing to study physics were used as a measure for career intentions within the expectancy-value model.

The results support the conclusion that the contest presents an equally supporting environment for female and male participants. We found no gender differences in success expectations for and value of studying physics. Sense of belonging and gender identification significantly predicted success expectations but not value of choosing to study physics. Female participants in the German Physics Olympiad were also neither affected by stereotype threat nor by social identity threat in their sense of belonging or gender identification.

     

The well‐being of teachers in Flanders: the importance of a supportive school culture

Research on the well‐being of teachers was conducted at the request of the Department of Education in Flanders, Belgium. The goals were: (1) to construct an instrument for the Education Inspectorate; and (2) to conduct a survey in order to identify school‐related conditions relevant for teachers’ professional well‐being. Based on literature and panel discussions with teachers and principals, a questionnaire was constructed, tested and subdivided in subscales following a factor analysis. The questionnaire was administered to a representative sample of elementary (covering both nursery and primary schools, children aged 3–12) and secondary school teachers. A multilevel analysis reveals how differences in scores can be explained at school level.     

Argumentación y conocimiento científico escolar

Resumen

En este artículo se analiza el contexto interactivo que propicia la participación de los alumnos en la construcción social del conocimiento de ciencias naturales en la escuela primaria. La descripción se centra en las intervenciones de los alumnos, elaboradas en interacción con el docente, en las que expresan explicaciones alternativas y argumentan sus ideas.     

Teacher education and the choice to enter the teaching profession: A prospective study

This two-wave survey study aimed at testing a hypothetical model of teacher education graduates’ decisions about whether or not to take a teaching position upon graduation. The model focuses on the relationship between teacher education and graduates’ choice on job entrance. Using path analysis and logistic regression, this model was tested in a sample of student teachers (n = 436), subsequently graduates (n = 251) of teacher training for secondary education. The results validate the relationship between teacher education variables and nearly graduates’ intention to enter the teaching profession. Furthermore, this intention proves an imperative predictor of graduates’ actual entrance.