Given the historic and continued underrepresentation of women in physics, it is important to understand the role that high school physics might play in attracting female students to physics careers. Drawing on data from over 900 female undergraduates in physics, we examine when these women became interested in physics careers and different sources of recognition (important for physics identity development) that may have affected their choices at certain time points. The results provide optimism since many of these female students, even those not previously intending science careers, began to intend physics careers in high school and recognition from high school physics teachers had a significant effect on predicting these intentions.
References
1.
2.
S.
White
and C. L.
Tesfaye
, “Female students in high school physics
,” (American Institute of Physics
, College Park, MD
, 2011
). Retrieved from http://www.aip.org/sites/default/files/statistics/highschool/hs-studfemale-09.pdf.3.
Z.
Hazari
, G.
Sonnert
, P. M.
Sadler
, and M.-C.
Shanahan
, “Connecting high school physics experiences, outcome expectations, physics identity, and physics career choice: A gender study
,” J. Res. Sci. Teach.
47
, 978
–1003
(2010
).4.
Proceedings of the Physics Education Research Conference, 2013
, edited by P. V.
Engelhardt
, A. D.
Churukian
, and D. L.
Jones
(AAPT
, 2013
), pp. 281
–284
.5.
A.
Godwin
, G.
Potvin
, Z.
Hazari
, and R.
Lock
, “Identity, critical agency, and engineering majors: An affective model for the choice of engineering in college
,” J. Eng. Educ.
105
, 312
–340
(2016
).6.
J. P.
Gee
, “Identity as an analytic lens for research in education
,” Rev. Res. Educ.
25
, 99
–125
(2000
).7.
A. Calabrese
Barton
, H.
Kang
, E.
Tan
, T. B.
O'Neill
, J.
Bautista-Guerra
, and C.
Brecklin
, “Crafting a future in science tracing middle school girls’ identity work over time and space
,” Am. Educ. Res. J.
50
, 37
–75
(2013
).8.
H. B.
Carlone
and A.
Johnson
, “Understanding the science experiences of successful women of color: Science identity as an analytic lens
,” J. Res. Sci. Teach.
44
, 1187
–1218
(2007
).9.
U.
Kessels
, M.
Rau
, and B.
Hannover
, “What goes well with physics?
” Brit. J. Educ. Psychol.
76
, 761
–780
(2006
).10.
R.
Lock
, Z.
Hazari
, and G.
Potvin
, “Physics career intentions: The effect of physics identity, math identity, and gender
,” AIP Conf. Proc.
1513
, 262
(2013
).11.
P.
Murphy
and E.
Whitelegg
, “Girls in the physics classroom: A review of the research on the participation of girls in physics,” (Institute of Physics
, London, UK
, 2006
).12.
The survey can be accessed at: http://stem.fiu.edu/cuwip-survey/cuwip_application_survey_2013.pdf.
13.
C. Y. J.
Peng
, K. L.
Lee
, and G. M.
Ingersoll
, “An introduction to logistic regression analysis and reporting
,” J. Educ. Res.
96
, 3
–14
(2002
).14.
Z.
Hazari
, P. M.
Sadler
, and G.
Sonnert
, “The science identity of college students: A gender and race/ethnicity comparison
,” J. Coll. Sci. Teach.
42
, 82
–91
(2013
).15.
R.
Ivie
and S.
Guo
, “Women physicists speak again,” (American Institute of Physics
, College Park, MD
, 2006
).16.
P.
Haussler
and L.
Hoffmann
, “An intervention study to enhance girls’ interest, self-concept and achievement in physics classes
,” J. Res. Sci. Teach.
39
, 870
–888
(2002
).17.
Z.
Hazari
, C.
Cass
, and C.
Beattie
, “Obscuring power structures in the physics classroom: Linking teacher positioning, student engagement, and physics identity development
,” J. Res. Sci. Teach.
52
, 735
–762
(2015
).© 2017 American Association of Physics Teachers.
2017
American Association of Physics Teachers
AAPT members receive access to The Physics Teacher and the American Journal of Physics as a member benefit. To learn more about this member benefit and becoming an AAPT member, visit the Joining AAPT page.