Gender differences in conceptual understanding of Newtonian mechanics: a UK cross-institution comparison

TL;DR

This study across three UK universities reveals a persistent gender gap in conceptual understanding of Newtonian mechanics, with males outperforming females before and after instruction, though the gap disappears in end-of-course exams.

Contribution

It provides cross-institutional evidence of gender disparities in physics understanding and shows the gap persists despite various instructional methods.

Findings

Significant gender gap in Newtonian mechanics understanding exists at all universities.

The gap narrows but does not close after instruction.

No gender gap observed in end-of-course exam performance.

Abstract

We present results of a combined study from three UK universities where we investigate the existence and persistence of a performance gender gap in conceptual understanding of Newtonian mechanics. Using the Force Concept Inventory, we find that students at all three universities exhibit a statistically significant gender gap, with males outperforming females. This gap is narrowed but not eliminated after instruction, using a variety of instructional approaches. Furthermore, we find that before instruction the quartile with the lowest performance on the diagnostic instrument comprises a disproportionately high fraction (~50%) of the total female cohort. The majority of these students remain in the lowest-performing quartile post-instruction. Analysis of responses to individual items shows that male students outperform female students on practically all items on the instrument. Comparing the performance of the same group of students on end-of-course examinations, we find no statistically significant gender gaps.